Let the Right One In
by DancingRain92
Summary: Arizona and Callie are back in Seattle. Though divorced, they agree to remain amicable for their daughter's sake. While out one evening, Arizona connects with Joey, a beautiful new transplant to the city. Though reluctant to see Arizona again, she can't avoid her once she's hired at Grey Sloan. How will this budding romance affect Arizona and Callie's co-parenting relationship?
1. Chapter 1: Thursday, Trivia Night

Let the Right One In

Chapter 1: Thursday, Trivia Night

She saw her walk into the bar out of the corner of her eye. Not wanting it to be obvious that she was watching her, she took fleeting glances while sipping her drink. Black jacket over a red blouse. Dark blue jeans. Long blonde hair. Messy. _"Not messy, natural"_ she thought to herself, correcting her first judgement. She couldn't discern from her quick glances whether her eyes were blue or grey. She thought she detected a slight limp on her left side but couldn't be sure. Not that it mattered either way. She was stunning. She watched her scope out a good place to sit, hoping that she picked a seat near her. In the next second, she hoped she didn't.

She noticed her too. All it took was quick glance over the bar for her eyes to land on the beautiful brunette sneaking glances her way. She wondered if, in her short glimpses, she could see her looking her over as she approached the bar where she sat. Grey sleeveless tank that exposed her sides. Smooth brown skin. No bra. Her shirt stopped a few inches short of the waistline of her black and grey pants. Just a sliver of her back exposed. More when she leaned forward. Sexy. Long dark brown, curly hair. Another fleeting glance her way. Brown. Her eyes are brown.

"Is this seat taken?" an angelic voice asked over the rumble of different discussions happening around them. She turned, finally getting her first, uninterrupted look at her. Blue. Her eyes are blue. _"Stunning"_ she thought to herself.

"Nope" she said simply before returning to her drink. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her shrugging out of her jacket. Her red blouse, now fully exposed, was a low V cut in the front and revealed the bare skin of her back, covered minimally by the thin threads of fabric that tied together creating an X. She put her jacket on the back of her chair then took her seat. The bartender came and greeted her, asking her if she wanted the usual. She was a regular here. She smiled a brilliant smile and nodded. The bartender made her drink and set it in front of her. Smile still beaming, she thanked her.

"Can I have another please?" she asked before the bartender got busy with other patrons.

"Sure thing" she said before turning and grabbing the bottle of whiskey she'd already poured her two drinks from. She topped off her drink then returned the bottle to its place and went on to attend to other customers.

"Do you have a partner?" the angelic voiced asked. She wasn't sure if she was talking to her or not so she wasn't sure whether to look up from her glass. She didn't want to be one of those people who sees someone waving and instinctively waves back, even though they've never seen the other person before, only to find that they were actually waving at someone behind them. The waving in this scenario being talking. Was she talking to her or someone near her? She looked to her right and no one was sitting there. So she looked at her.

"Me?" she asked pointing to herself. She gave a curt nod. Her smile was blinding.

"Yes. Do you have a partner?" she asked again.

"Umm…n-no" she said hesitantly. This woman was insanely beautiful and the moment she saw her, even if only through the corner of her eye, she wanted to take her home. But she couldn't. Well, she could. But she shouldn't.

"I don't either. Do you want to be mine?" she asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a hopeful tone. _"Wow, she's forward"_, she thought to herself. "I mean I'm not that great with trivia but I'm not…. completely terrible" she said hoping to reassure her.

"Oh" she said realizing that she wasn't asking if she had a partner as in a girlfriend. She looked at the board behind the bar that she had noticed when she first walked in. _Thursday_, _Trivia_ _Night_. She wanted a trivia partner. "Umm…yeah sure" she agreed.

"You thought I was asking if you had a girlfriend didn't you?" she asked seeing the look of clarity come over her.

"No" she said quickly, obviously lying. She looked at her and received a knowing glance. "Yes" she admitted with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry. I…"

"No" she said quickly, stopping her from apologizing further. "No, it's fine. I…. I was being presumptuous" she said slightly embarrassed. "Trivia would be fun" she said reiterating her desire to partner up with her.

"Great" she said briskly. Her smile was back full force. She slid her drink down and hopped down from her stool, grabbing her jacket and sitting on the stool directly next to her. She caught a whiff of her perfume. Or was it shampoo. Something fruity. As she made herself comfortable, she flipped her hair back off her shoulders to cascade down her back. Shampoo. Definitely shampoo. "Your first time here?" she asked curiously.

"Is it obvious?" she asked bringing her glass up to her lips.

"No… it's j… I come here a lot for the trivia nights and I've never seen you here before".

"Yeah, it's my first time here" she admitted.

"Well, it's always pretty fun" she said reaching for a new coaster to set her glass on. "I always have a great time". She was very upbeat. Her smile and her chipper attitude were both so bright they were blinding. It almost made her physically cringe. Upbeat and chipper wasn't exactly her type but for some reason, this time it wasn't a deal breaker. "I'm Arizona by the way" she said offering her hand. All she received was a sideways glance. Arizona laughed. "I know what you're thinking…." she said still smiling. It was amazing that she could smile so big for so long. She wondered if her face ever hurt. "and I…"

"Wasn't named after the state" she said finishing her sentence.

"No, I wasn't" she said surprised. "How'd you know?"

"Oh, I didn't. I just hoped that it was something more significant than "I was born there"."

"Well, it is…. much more significant than that" she assured her. She nodded while avoiding eye contact with her, refraining from looking at her as much as possible. Her smile was hypnotizing and her eyes were intoxicating. She was already under the influence of the whiskey in her glass. She didn't need to be under the influence of anything else.

"Joey" she said finally introducing herself.

"It's nice to meet you, Joey" she said genuinely.

"It's nice to meet you too…. Arizona" she said with a lot of interest in her name and a lot of interest in her. Interest aside, she had no intention of starting anything. Arizona was incredibly beautiful and seemed like a very kind person. She seemed the kind of person you didn't want to see just once. Maybe she was being presumptuous again by thinking that she would even be interested in anything at all, let alone just one night. Not that it would matter. She couldn't. Well, she could. But she shouldn't. "So, how does this trivia game work?" she asked moving away from her musing about the potential of something serious with her new companion.

"Oh, we'll get an answer sheet and they'll ask the questions. We write down our answers and turn them in at the end. They tally the results and the winners get free drinks for the rest of the evening" she explained. "No phones of course. That would be cheating".

"Of course".

"We used to win quite a bit" she said slightly bragging.

"We?" Joey asked with raised eyebrows.

"My friend Richard used to come with me all of the time" she explained. "He's excellent at trivia. But he ditched me for his wife so…." she said with a shrug and phony disappointment.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll try my best to fill his shoes".

"Let's just keep it fun" she said obviously not caring much about whether they won.

"Winning is fun" she quipped. Arizona laughed and even that was enchanting.

"Winning is fun" she agreed. "So, Joey…. "and with that she knew what was coming. It was inevitable. You come to a bar alone and sit next to someone who's also alone and eventually you start making small talk that builds the attraction and eventually ends up in someone's bed. At least that's how it usually went for her. "Is that short for something or were your parents expecting a boy?" And there it was. The first getting to know you question from a long list of getting to know you questions she'd undoubtedly be asked tonight.

"I just… I always ran with the boys; you know? Roughhousing and sports. I hated dresses and dolls. So they all started calling me Joey and it just stuck" she explained before finishing the last gulp of her drink. She couldn't remember ever explaining that to anyone. Usually, when someone asked, she'd simply say it was a nickname. With her, she took the time to tell the whole story. She pondered changing her mind about trivia and coming up with some excuse about why she needed to leave. She was really interested in this woman. Too interested. She couldn't go down that road. On the other hand, there was no reason that she had to go down that road. Maybe, this _could_ be nothing more than one night. And if one night was all she could have with this stunning woman then maybe she should make the most of it. They would probably never see each other again anyway, right? Problem solved. "And I'm guessing that you were named for the USS Arizona?" she asked. "Sunk December 7th 1941 at Pearl Harbor". A look of surprise came over her face.

"Y-yeah" she said breathily. "H-h-how" she stammered, "how did you guess that?"

"Well there aren't too many other significant reasons to name your kid Arizona" she said. "Actually I don't think there are _any_ other significant reasons to name your kid Arizona" she said getting a laugh from her trivia partner. "Anyway, I was stationed in Hawaii for awhile. I visited the memorial a few times. It was…. beautiful. It was the first thing that came to mind".

"Oh, you wer…."

"Alright everyone" the bartender said speaking into a microphone. "Welcome to trivia night. For those of you who've been here before, you know the drill. For our newcomers, pick a partner then come on up and get your answer sheet and a pen. As always, no phones please. Just use the beautiful brains you were born with. I'll repeat each question twice and you get a full minute to write down your answer before we move on to the next question" she said going over the rules. "We'll tally the results at the end of each round until we have one team standing. So put your last orders in then get settled in for a fun game of trivia". She put the microphone down and began helping the other bartenders make drinks for the women who came up to order before the game started. She saw Joey's glass was empty. "Another?" she said pointing to her empty glass.

"No, I'm okay for now. Thank you".

"What about you beautiful?" she asked giving Arizona a flirty smile.

"Sure, I'll have another". She got her fresh glass and made her another vodka tonic then placed it on the coaster in front of her. "Thanks Karin".

"Sure thing gorgeous" she said before moving on to other customers.

"Good friend?" Joey asked curiously. Arizona laughed.

"Not really". Joey's raised eyebrows said she didn't really believe her. "She's just being friendly. It's her job".

"Umhmm" she mumbled.

"So, you, uh, you were in the navy?" she asked finishing her question from before.

"Army…" she corrected, "and I still am. And your family is…"

"Marines" she said. "You just… know things, huh?"

"Well, I figured if your parents named you after a battleship they must have some connection to the military".

"My grandfather died on the Arizona" she explained. For the first time since she asked about the free seat next to her, Joey looked her directly in the eyes.

"I'm sorry" she sincerely apologized.

"He was a very brave man" she said proudly. "My father takes after him. He's very du…"

"Duty. Honor. Country" Joey said finishing another of her sentences. She smiled and shook her head in disbelief. She really understood.

"Yes. And my brother followed his example. He was a marine too".

"Was?" she asked noticing her use of the past tense.

"He was killed in action" she said sadly. Joey was still looking her in the eye.

"I'm sorry" she said softly. "Again" she added with a light chuckle.

"So your family is…." Arizona asked moving the conversation away from her losses.

"A little bit of everything" she admitted. "My father, my oldest brother and I are army. My mom too but she was on the civilian side. She never actually enlisted. My father's retired now".

"Mine too" Arizona chimed in.

"My second oldest brother and my younger brother are Navy and my third older brother is a Marine. My younger sister was in the Air Force but she didn't stick with it. Military life just wasn't for her" she said giving her the whole run down.

"Wow" Arizona said, impressed with their service. "So there's six of you?"

"Umhmm" she nodded.

"And you all have served in the military at some point?"

"Yep" she said nonchalantly. "Family tradition, you know?"

"Ummm, no" Arizona said with a laugh. "I mean I understand service, of course. But I've never considered doing it myself even though my grandfather and my father and brother all did".

"Yeah, I guess… it was an admiration kind of thing for us" she said as she pondered why they all served. "My great-grandfather came here from Africa in the mid-thirties and joined the military. He fought in the second world war. It's how he earned his citizenship. Then my grandfather fought in Vietnam, though that wasn't a choice. He was drafted but it still made him proud to feel like he was following in his father's footsteps. Then my father joined because he wanted to be like _his_ father. We watched him when we were growing up. Anytime he was in uniform it was like he was ten feet tall" she said smiling as she pictured him. "He was a vision of strength and integrity. He was smart and kind and he commanded respect". Arizona was completely taken by how she talked about her father.

"And your mother?" she asked interested to see if she spoke about her in the same way.

"Oh my mother" she said running her hands through her hair. Her smile widened as she thought about her mother. "She was larger than life. Still is" she said happily. "Brilliant and kind and funny and strong. And even though she was always just a step behind my father, we all knew that she could be right out front, leading, if she ever needed to be". She talked about her parents with such pride. Arizona felt every bit of it and shared the same sentiment about her parents.

"I feel like we were raised by the same people" she admitted. Joey laughed. Karin came back over the microphone to get the trivia game started. They both realized they hadn't gotten their answer sheet and pen to participate. Joey reached over and grabbed one for them before Karin started with the first question. They made it through the first round and were one of five teams still in the running. Then they were one of three. Then the last team standing. It was like they were one mind. Whatever Joey didn't know, Arizona did. Together, they won free drinks until closing.


	2. Chapter 2: Have I Found You?

**AN: Hello everyone. This is my first attempt at a Grey's fanfic. THIS IS NOT A CALZONA STORY so, sorry. If that's what you're looking for this isn't it. I will not untag Callie because, even though this is not Calzona endgame, she is still a part of the story. **** I always welcome feedback but please keep it respectful and constructive. I will not hesitate to report rude, abusive comments.** **For those of you who are interested, I hope you enjoy it. For those who are not, I hope you find other stories that suit your interests.**

Chapter 2: Have I Found You?

Joey switched from whiskey to beer and Arizona was working on her third vodka tonic. They picked their conversation back up once the trivia game was done. "So you're a military brat, moved around a lot growing up?" Arizona nodded. "So when did you come to Seattle?". She wanted to move the conversation away from herself. She felt like she'd shared enough and she just wanted to hear her story. She always was a great listener.

"Well I studied at John's Hopkins. I went through med school and residency there and I did my fellowship year there. Then, I was offered an attending position there. I loved it so I stayed. Then I was offered an attending and department head position here in Seattle so I thought…. no better time to spread my wings". Joey smiled and nodded her head. She couldn't believe how things were lining up between them.

"So, you're a doctor?" she asked.

"Yes, a surgeon" she specified. Joey laughed and scratched her head.

"What's your specialty?"

"I started in pediatric surgery and now I'm a fetal/maternal"Arizona answered, though she was confused about her laughter.

"Wow. Fetal is a… difficult specialty. Impressive".

"Thank you" she said appreciatively. "What about you? What do you do?" Joey laughed. "What?" Arizona asked curiously.

"Nothing, it's just. I am too" she said filling her in. "I'm a surgeon too".

"Really?" Arizona asked surprised. Joey nodded. They were both surprised by how much they had in common. "What's your specialty?" she asked, eager to know more.

"Trauma" she said simply. "I'm a trauma surgeon". Arizona nodded in understanding. Her being a trauma surgeon made sense given her military service. She was the female Owen or another Teddy. "Where'd you study?"

"In Maryland". Arizona's jaw dropped. "Yeah" she said with a laugh. "Just for med school though. I did my residency in Hawaii" she said connecting back to how she guessed her namesake. "I umm… I joined the military at seventeen. I was right out of high school. I joined as a medic, did all my training then I finished my undergrad classes just in time to apply to the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences when I turned twenty-one".

"So we were both studying in Maryland at the same time" Arizona said still in disbelief.

"Within an hour's drive of each other" she said with a nod.

"Wow, that's…. kismet" she said cheerfully. Joey meet her gaze. It was almost as if she was looking into her soul. She quickly looked away.

"So" she said clearing her throat, "you've lived here since then?" She asked, moving the conversation away from herself again. Arizona could tell she was uncomfortable with her declaration of their meeting being fate. She decided to let it go, for now.

"Uh, no I… I moved to Africa for a couple of months" she blew air, "years ago. Then I came back. Then I moved to New York for a few years to be closer to my daughter and now I'm back again".

"You have a daughter?"

"I do". Her smile grew big and bright again at the mention of her child. "Her name's Sofia. She'll be eleven this year and she's the light of my life".

"And why was she in New York?"

"My ex-wife, Callie, had moved there to be with her girlfriend at the time and I allowed Sofia to go with her. It was a very messy process getting to that decision" she said with a chuckle, "but we made it work for a little over a year but it was just…. it was too hard on Sofia. So I decided to move there to be closer to her".

"Messy process?" she asked interested in that story. Arizona laughed again. Every time she did, Joey felt a flutter in her stomach.

"Well, Callie's girlfriend Penny won this research grant which would mean she'd have to move to New York so…"

"What grant is that?" Joey interrupted her.

"I…It was the Preminger Grant".

"Ok, yeah, I know it".

"Yeah, it's a big deal so of course she didn't want to pass it up. Anyway, Callie was worried about having a long distance relationship so I gave her this awesome pep talk" she said complimenting herself, "about making the things that you want to work, work. And somehow, what she got out of that pep talk was that she should move to New York with her and take my daughter with her…. without asking me". Joey could tell, from the way she talked about it, that it was still a sore spot. "She didn't ask me if I was okay with Sofia moving with her. She just told me that she was moving and that I'd be able to see her whenever I wanted. Then she walked that back and apologized and said she got carried away and that we'd talk about it. So we met for coffee to talk about it and she brought brochures for schools, like it was already decided that she was going but we hadn't even talked about why we would move our daughter across the country so that she could follow her girlfriend". Once Arizona got going, she really got going. She was offended by Callie's assumption that she would automatically be the one that Sofia would live with and that she was only worthy of visits with her daughter. Callie scoffed at the idea of Sofia staying in Seattle with Arizona and visiting her in New York. For some reason, she didn't understand that Arizona felt the same way about the arrangement being the other way around. "Then I get a call from a school in New York asking me about Sofia's application".

"Oh" Joey groaned under her breath before finishing her drink then getting the bartender's attention for another round.

"Yeah. I mean, she's standing there saying that she jumped the gun and that we'd make the decision together" she said laughing, "not knowing that I already knew she'd applied to schools behind my back". Even though some time had obviously passed and she'd ultimately gone to New York to be with her daughter and even though she had, what she assumed was, a good experience there, she still had a lot of anger when she talked about it. Joey assumed that no matter how much time passed, it would always bother her on some level. "She thought it was just fine to make a unilateral decision about our daughter's life. So I told her to talk to my lawyer. I needed to protect my rights to my child. I didn't want to be away from her".

"So, what happened then?" Joey asked interested in the rest of the story.

"Then…. she sued me for sole custody".

"Ouch".

"Yeah, she _really_ wanted to take Sofia with her. She completely slandered me in court. She let her lawyer say things about me that…. I mean, I- I would _never_ have, _ever_ let my lawyer say about her" she said sadly. "But she lost so…" she said with a shrug.

"Oh, well that's…. is that good?" she asked not sure whether a mother losing custody of her child was a good thing, even if it was a win for Arizona.

"Well I thought it was" she said brushing her hair behind her ear. "I mean nothing changed except the legalities. We kept the same schedule. Callie didn't see Sofia any less. But Penny and Callie broke up and Penny moved to New York without her. Callie was just so unhappy all the time and Sofia was always asking me "why's mama so sad". Seeing her like that was making my girl so unhappy." The way that Arizona said "my girl" when talking about Sofia made her melt inside. She hoped the way she was feeling on the inside wasn't showing on the outside. "So I said that she could go and she could take Sofia and we would work out a schedule for me to see her".

"So you let her take Sofia to New York so she could see her mom happy?" Arizona nodded. "And what about you? Were you happy?" She smiled even though her eyes looked sad.

"I missed her. I missed her _so_ much" she admitted. "But I got to visit her in New York and we talked on the phone and texted and video chatted".

"But it wasn't enough" she observed.

"I had my work and I started dating again. I found… some happiness. But no, it wasn't enough" she said sadly. "But then" she chuckled, "then Sofia missed me and she wanted to move back home. So we moved her back home with me but then she missed Callie. She started acting out and I just decided I had to do what was best for her. So I found an apartment and a job and we moved to New York together so she could have both of her parents".

"That's very selfless of you" she said admiring her decisions to put her child first. "Can I ask you something?" Arizona raised her eyebrows. "I just… I'm wondering about something and I don't know if it's an offensive question to ask or not" she said honestly.

"Umm… ask away" Arizona said hesitantly.

"Did Callie carry Sofia?" she asked cautiously. "She's her biological mother, right?"

"Yeah" Arizona nodded, "but I'm still her mother" she said defensively. "I… I legally adopted her".

"N-no, I… of course" she said placating her. "I would never think you're not her mother. I just…. I wondered why she would assume she could decide to move her without asking you, that's all". They both quietly finished their drinks and asked for another round. "I'm sorry" Joey apologized. "I shouldn't have asked".

"No, it's fine" Arizona said. "I think it was definitely a factor" she said sadly, remembering some of the things said in court. Joey wanted to move on to something else. The mood had been dampened and she wanted to lighten it again.

"So, Africa" she said moving along. "Why'd you move there?"

"I won a grant" she said proudly. "The Carter Madison Grant which would fund a clinic in Malawi for children. I was basically building a pediatric surgery clinic and teaching peds surgery. It was incredible and once in a lifetime. I was supposed to be there for three years but I ended up coming back after only a few months".

"Why?"

"I came back… for Callie" she said hesitantly. Joey looked stunned.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I just… I couldn't even enjoy the work because I was so sad about how I left things with her and I missed her so much. I just… wanted to go home and fix it and get her back".

"Wait, weren't you married? Why didn't she just go with you?" Arizona laughed at the second question.

"We weren't married yet". She preceded to tell her the story of how she ended up going to Africa without her, how they got back together when she returned, and how they came to have Sofia. "So Mark was her…."

"Best friend…. with benefits" she added. "Yeah, and he's Sofia's father. I didn't like him for a long time but I grew to love him very much".

"And you're still friends now?"

"Uh, no" she said sadly looking down at her drink. "He died when Sofia was a baby".

"I'm so sorry" she said apologizing yet again for another loss. "Can I ask what happened?" Arizona hesitated to answer her. "You don't have to talk about it" she said quickly. "I'm… sorry I asked".

"No, it's okay. It's okay that you asked". She told her about the plane crash that killed Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey. She told her about Meredith and Cristina. Derek. Jerry the pilot. Herself. She told her about the lawsuit, how it almost bankrupted their hospital and how they bought the hospital to save it. She told her about the long road to recover after losing her leg and her old self and ultimately her marriage. She even told her about Lauren, the doctor she made the mistake of cheating on her wife with. She told her everything from sleeping with an intern to Callie's lawsuit and their reconciliation all the way to them splitting up again, for what they thought was the last time. Joey couldn't believe how utterly open Arizona was being with her. She was sure the free vodka tonics had the most to do with it. She didn't interrupt her. She just listened to every part of her story. She was interested in everything she had to say. Everything.

"Last call, everyone" Karin called out through the bar. "Last call, ladies" she said stopping in front of them. Joey looked at her watch. Two in the morning. She hadn't planned on staying out this late. She was glad she didn't have to be up too early.

"One more round?" she asked looking at Arizona. She nodded. "One more please" she said to Karin who nodded and preceded to get them each one more drink.

"You never said why you moved here" Arizona said realizing she'd just shared almost her entire adult life story and still knew very little about Joey.

"Umm… I just transitioned to the reserves. It'll…. most likely be my last reenlistment before I retire. I wanted to be on the west coast to be close to my parents and my sister. They live in California. There was an opening in the medical unit at Fort Lewis so I was able to be assigned there".

"That's in Tacoma, right?" Joey nodded. "So why Seattle?"

"I don't know. I, uh, I guess I wanted to be away from post" she said with a shrug. "I haven't lived off post since med school and in a few more years, I'll be a civilian completely. I guess I figured it'd be easier if I didn't live so close to post" she said trying her best to explain. "And I thought it'd be nice to live in a big city. And my top choice for work is here. I haven't gotten the job yet. I'm still waiting to hear but I thought I'd be positive…. for once" she chuckled. "So I found an apartment here and I am believing that I will get the job that I want".

"So you've only ever worked in army hospitals?"

"Yeah" she said with a sigh. "This will be my first civilian job. It's nerve-racking to think about but also really exciting. I've always wondered what it was like to work in a civilian hospital. Military hospitals are…. slow. Which is good" she quickly added not wanting Arizona to think she was bored of people's good fortune. Even though they wouldn't have jobs save for people's misfortune, it was distasteful to say it aloud. "A busy day at a military hospital is never a good thing. It usually means there was a training accident of some sort. Most of us become general practitioners when we're not deployed. We get a surgery here and there from soldiers who are in training accidents or who come home with injuries and need follow up procedures or family members who are in accidents. Other than that we take care of dependents or civilian personnel with everyday complaints. We want slow days. Slow days are good but…. really boring for a surgeon" she admitted getting a laugh from Arizona. She knew she understood. "Anyway, I'm excited to see what the pace of a civilian hospital is like". She was starting a whole new chapter in her life. She was wary of getting her hopes up but trying to stay optimistic that things would work out for her. She looked around and saw that they were the last two still in the bar. "I guess we should head out so they can… close up". She got up from her bar stool, finished the last of her beer and set the glass down on the bar, pushing it away so Karin could collect it with all the others. Arizona did the same. They both put their jackets on and walked out of the bar together to hail a cab. One pulled up and stopped in front of them. Joey opened the door for Arizona to get in.

"Do you want to share?" Arizona offered.

"Oh no, that's ok" Joey said politely declining. "I'm gonna walk". She'd thought a lot about going home with Arizona tonight but she decided that it was definitely a bad idea. There's no way that one night with her would ever be enough. If she went home with her now, she'd want to see her again. And again. And again. It wasn't something she could do right now. Well, she could. But she shouldn't. "It was really nice to meet you" she said softly. She wanted desperately to kiss her but she fought the urge.

"Maybe we can… see each other again sometime" she said with the smile that had enchanted Joey all night.

"That would be nice" she said not explicitly turning her down.

"Should we exchange numb…"

"I'll find you" she said cutting her off. "There can't be too many fetal surgeons in Seattle named after a battleship". She was sure there couldn't be another. This woman was one of a kind. She leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek. "Good night Arizona".

"Good night". She got in the cab and Joey shut the door for her. She stood on the curb and watched as the cab pulled away. Could it be that Arizona was right? That this was fate? They were in medical school at the same time in the same state within an hour's drive of one another but had never met. Now, sixteen years later, they finally found each other. _"Have I found you?" _she thought. She stood there watching the cab get further in the distance and contemplated if she had found the one. And if she had, did it even matter. Surely if fate was going to bring two people together it would make sure they were both ready for whatever fate had in store. She wasn't ready; that she was sure of. She had already told herself that it could only be one night. One night was done. This had to be it. They could never see each other again. She turned and started her long walk home alone.


	3. Chapter 3: Arizona's Mystery Woman

**AN: I have a feeling that a lot of you in the comments are the same people from the Grey's group I'm in on facebook. Lol. I'm going to address your complaints only once then never again. First, simply tagging Callie and Arizona in the same story does not automatically make it a Calzona story. If you can't comprehend from the description that they are divorced and Arizona has a new love interest, I don't know what to tell you. Second, tagging the characters in _MY_ story because they are actually in _MY_ story does not make me a bitch. You all calling me a bitch for how I tag the characters in _MY_ story makes you a child. I will be reporting any such comments from here on. Third, I do not hate Callie. I am actually a fan of her character (though it seems from the comments that a lot of you hate Arizona). This is not a "mary sue" fanfic (first time I've ever even heard of that but find it interesting that was the conclusion after only one chapter) and Callie is not a villian so calm down. I don't understand why all of you are so worked up over a fictional character in a fictional story anyway but I digress on that point. Fourth, ARIZONA IS SOFIA'S MOTHER. Saying otherwise is completely rude and disrespectful to all non-biological parents. I will be reporting any such comments from here on. As for doing my research, rest assured, I have done it several times over (and by research I mean watched the show). It was only specified that Arizona was first to retain a lawyer. It was never specified who actually sued for sole custody. Arizona is Sofia's legal parent so Callie would've needed either Arizona's permission, which she didn't have, or a court order granting her sole physical custody to move Sofia out of state. By that logic, it's safe to assume that Callie is the one who sued for sole custody because she is the one who wanted to move her out of state. As I stated before, I welcome comments that are respectful and constructive. Calling me a bitch is neither respectful nor constructive. Telling me you're not interested in my story is not constructive either (or necessary). If you're not interested in a non-Calzona story, simply don't read it. My feelings won't be hurt. Saying that an adoptive parent is not a parent is not respectful or constructive. Saying that I'm provoking people (although I'm not sure what the provocation is) so I can complain when they are mean to me is not constructive and ridiculous. If you use not getting your way as an excuse for not being a decent human being (you don't get a free pass because it's the internet) then I honestly don't want you to read my story anyway. Peace and blessings. Hope everyone has a great day. **

Chapter 3: Arizona's Mystery Woman

The next morning, Arizona's alarm went off at six thirty. She was working on four and a half hours of sleep and a major headache. She was regretting those five vodka tonics as she got up and started to get ready for work. She put on a pot of coffee and went to shower while it brewed. Standing in the shower under a cool flow of water, she worked on both waking herself up and soothing her headache away. When she got too cold, she made the water warmer. She washed off the makeup she'd been too tired to wash off before bed last night then washed up the rest of her body before getting out of the shower. Dried off and wrapped up in a towel, she brushed her teeth then went to her closet to pull out her clothes. Once she was dressed, she went back to her bathroom and grabbed the bottle Tylenol from the medicine cabinet and shook two tablets into her hand before returning the bottle to the shelf. She grabbed her purse and went down to the kitchen, took down a travel mug and filled it coffee, fixing it up the way she liked before taking down a glass and filling it halfway with water to take her Tylenol. After setting the glass in the sink, she took her coffee mug and her purse and headed out the door.

Thankfully, she hit minimal traffic on her way to the hospital. She really didn't need to be any later than she already was. She had called the hospital on her way in to have her first consult of the day pushed to the afternoon which meant she wouldn't have time for lunch with Callie. They were supposed to talk about whether they would let Sofia go on a co-ed camping trip next weekend. She hated camping but Sofia seemed excited about it so she was fine to let her go. Callie on the other hand thought she was too young to be camping with boys. She wouldn't be happy about her putting off their talk again. Sofia needed to turn in her permission slip on Monday if she would be allowed to go so they had to talk sometime this weekend. Her unplanned late night out had put a kink in the start to her day. Still, she thought it was worth it because she got to meet Joey. She couldn't wait to see her again. She hoped she would call her sometime today. If she didn't want to seem too over-eager, maybe she'd call tomorrow. She parked her car, went inside and up to the fourth floor attending's lounge.

"What happened to you?" Alex asked as she rushed in with a pair of scrubs in her hand.

"What?"

"You look terrible" he said before taking a bite of the breakfast sandwich he was eating.

"Thank you" she said sarcastically. Alex Karev was arguably her biggest success story. She'd trained him from a rugged, undisciplined resident to the less rugged, incredibly brilliant and kind chief of pediatric surgery he'd become. He was also one of her closest friends. But he was still a pain in her ass. "I didn't get much sleep last night".

"I can tell" he said with his mouth full.

"You could be less honest" she said taking her scrubs and going in the bathroom to change.

"What's the fun in that?" she heard him ask as she pushed the door shut behind her. She quickly changed into her scrubs and when she emerged from the bathroom, Meredith had joined Alex in the lounge.

"Good morning Dr. Robbins" she greeted her cheerfully.

"Good morning Dr. Grey" she said returning the pleasantry with a slight frown. The high pitch of her unusually happy voice made her head bang a little harder.

"What's with you?" Alex asked suspicious of her good mood.

"I have an awesome surgery today. It's gonna be a good, bloody mess and I. can't. wait" she said happily.

"Turn your happiness down. It's too early to be that bright" he groaned.

"Ok. I'm running on just a few hours of sleep and my head is killing me" Arizona said walking over and joining them at the table. "What's your excuse for being such a grouch this morning?"

"I'm not a grouch. You two are just unnaturally chipper" he said finishing the last of his sandwich.

"We are more chipper than normal" Meredith concurred. "Well, I am" she amended. "You're always unnaturally chipper" she said looking at Arizona while she sipped her coffee. Arizona feigned fake offense with a scoff and a side eye.

"Umm, excuse me Dr. Robbins" a familiar voice called in to the lounge. Dr. Schmidt stood in the doorway with his tablet in hand.

"Yes, Dr. Schmidt" she said politely.

"Oh, uh, I-" he stammered.

"Spit it out glasses. What do you want?" Alex asked impatiently.

"I'm sorry, it's just… you called me Dr. Schmidt and nobody ever really calls me that. It's always glasses or bloodbank or Dr. Snitch or something else that's…"

"Nobody cares" Alex said cutting him off.

"Alex" Meredith and Arizona said at the same time in a scolding tone.

"Right, of course. Sorry" he apologized again. Schmidt had a myriad of unflattering nicknames, the newest being Dr. Snitch which he acquired for the unfortunate accidental reporting of Dr. Grey's insurance fraud. It was a welcomed surprise to actually be referred to with some respect. "I, um, I'm on your service today. I pre-rounded on all of your patients and your eight o'clock consult is ready when you are" he said finally getting out what he'd come there to say.

"Thank you Dr. Schmidt. I'll meet you there" she said sending him on ahead of her. "Such a grouch" she said turning back to Alex.

"What? That guy is weird" he said with a shrug.

"We used to say the same thing about you" Meredith said before taking another drink of her coffee.

"No. You used to say I was an ass" he corrected.

"That's true" she agreed with a snicker. "So, do we get to know what kept you up last night?" she asked turning her attention to an overly tired Arizona.

"N-nothing" she said getting up from the table.

"Oh, it's definitely something. Did you get laid?" Arizona's eyes got wide. "You got laid didn't you?" he asked in a teasing tone. Meredith gasped.

"Is that why you didn't get enough sleep?" she asked joining in on the teasing. "Were you up all night doing the nasty?" she asked slyly.

"N-n-no" Arizona stuttered. Alex and Meredith both laughed.

"You were" Meredith said pointing at her now blushing cheeks.

"I was not" she said more definitively. She grabbed her stethoscope and put it around her neck before picking up her coffee. "Both of you, inappropriate" she said as she walked out to the sound of their laughter. She went to her consults then checked in on her post op patients, including the twenty-seven-week old preemie she delivered in a crash c-section earlier in the week. While she was in the NICU, Alex continued to pester her about who she'd slept with the night before even though she was adamant she hadn't slept with anyone. It continued in the cafeteria at lunch.

"She won't give it up" he said to Meredith who was also very interested in Arizona's sleepless night.

"There's nothing to give up" she said in an exasperated tone. "I didn't have se…" she stopped when Jo sat down next to her husband. "I didn't have sex with anyone" she said in a hushed tone.

"Oooh" Jo said interested in the conversation, "you getting lucky?" she asked Arizona as she opened her bottle of orange juice.

"No" she said quickly. "They just think I am".

"You said you didn't get a lot of sleep last night and you were definitely hung over which means you went out last night. So give it up" Alex said stealing one of her fries. "who was she?"

"You better tell him or he'll never stop" Meredith said before shoving another forkful of salad into her mouth. Callie plopped herself down in the chair next to Arizona.

"I thought you said you didn't have time for lunch" she said with some annoyance as she stole a few of her fries. Arizona finished chewing and swallowing the bite of sandwich in her mouth before answering.

"I said I didn't have to time to talk to you at lunch" she corrected. "And I don't. I have" she looked at her watch, "five more minutes to eat then I have an amniotic band resection".

"Well, we have to talk about Sofia" she said impatiently.

"I don't know what else there is to talk about" she said putting two fries in her mouth. "I think it's fine if she goes".

"You said she wouldn't go unless we agreed" she reminded her.

"Where's she going?" Meredith asked curiously.

"Camping trip" they said simultaneously.

"Callie doesn't think we should let her go" Arizona said expounding on their argument.

"You don't even like camping" Callie said mildly annoyed.

"_I'm_ not the one going" she replied over her mouthful of food. "Sofia wants to go and I don't see the problem".

"What's wrong with camping?" Jo asked. "I like camping. It's super fun". Alex turned his nose up. "What?" she asked defensively, noticing his grimace. "It is".

"It's co-ed and I think she's too young to be camping with boys" Callie said explaining her position against the trip.

"There are separate cabins for boys and girls and it's supervised". Arizona thought Callie was being ridiculous about the whole thing. It was just a camping trip. Callie scoffed as if those points didn't matter. "You remember the time you said you didn't want our daughter to be raised by your father?"

"Yeah?" Callie questioned more than answered, trying to remember exactly when she'd said that.

"You're being your father" she said in a whispered tone. Callie gasped in offense.

"Take it back". Arizona shook her head as she took a drink from her straw.

"You know what, it's fine. She won't go" she said with a shrug.

"Thank you" Callie said accepting the win.

"But you're gonna tell her" she added as she collected her trash.

"Wha…" Callie was about to argue but Arizona wasn't going to give on the condition.

"You're the one against her going so you get to tell her she can't go". She got up from her chair and picked up her tray. "I have surgery".

"Arizona..."

"I have to go" she said before she could get a word in.

"So you're not gonna tell us wh…."

"Shut it Karev" she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Tell us what?" Callie asked nosily as she took one of Meredith's apple slices and popped it in her mouth.

"Nothing" Meredith said quickly before Alex could start talking. She proceeded to talk about the tumor she and Jo had resected in the first half of their day. It was just as good and bloody as Meredith had hoped. They had gotten clean margins and their patient was stable and resting comfortably in post op recovery. The perfect finish to the first half of their day. Once she'd successfully steered the conversation away from Arizona's late night out, she steered it back to Callie's reservations about Sofia going on the camping trip. They talked about it until they were all paged to the ER for incoming traumas from a multi-car accident. Arizona came down to help once she was done with her surgery. There were no pregnant patients for Arizona to tend to so she lended an extra hand to Alex on the peds patients that came in. They cleared the ER and got all the patients who needed surgery up to the OR. The rest were either admitted or treated and sent on their way. Arizona wasn't needed in the OR so she checked on her post ops for the last time for the day, updated all of her charts then headed out for the day. It was her night with Sofia and she'd promised her a movie night so they went to the store to pick up snacks and ice cream before heading home. It was a night of pizza, caramel popcorn, BBQ potato chips, three flavors of ice cream and Disney princess movies. They watched movies until they were both fighting to keep their eyes open. Sofia argued saying she didn't have school the next day. She said they could watch one more then it was off to bed. They settled on the couch for one more movie. They weren't a full half hour into it before Sofia was fast asleep. Arizona was regretting not sticking to her guns and making her go to bed. Soon she'd be much too big for her to carry to her bed. She was just thankful her bedroom wasn't upstairs. She tucked her in and shut off her light then went up to her own room for some much needed sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: You've Got Mail?

Chapter 4: You've Got Mail?

The next morning, Arizona felt much more rested than she had the day before. Deciding to let Sofia sleep a little while longer, she went into the bathroom to shower, wash her face and brush her teeth. As she got dressed, she had the feeling it would be a good day. She would have a smooth day at work and maybe today would be the day that she'd hear from Joey. She hadn't learned nearly as much about her during their conversation as she had revealed about herself but still she was staying confident she would reach out. She went downstairs to wake Sofia then went back upstairs to continue getting herself ready. Forty minutes later, she was headed back downstairs to make the last preparations for her day.

"Sofia, we're out the door in fifteen minutes" she called out down the hall before going into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of coffee then grabbed a bagel, yogurt and apple juice for Sofia to take with her. Ten minutes later, Sofia came down the hall. "Do you have everything?" she asked, pushing her breakfast toward her.

"Peanut butter please" she said pushing her bagel back towards Arizona. She grabbed the peanut butter from the cabinet and a knife and spoon from the drawer. She gave the spoon to Sofia for her yogurt and used the knife to spread peanut butter over her bagel.

"Do you have everything you need for this weekend?" she asked again. Sofia nodded. "Are you sure? You're going to mama's after dance. You won't be back here until after school on Monday" she reminded her. Sofia thought for a moment while she ate her yogurt then nodded again. Arizona's phone started to ring in her pocket. It was Callie. "Hey" she answered as she handed Sofia her bagel. "Yeah, we're just about to head out in a few minutes. Yeah". She handed the phone to Sofia who took and started a conversation with her mom while Arizona cleaned up. A few minutes later, Sofia came back and handed her back her phone. "Ok. You ready?"

"Umhmm" she mumbled. She finished her yogurt, put her spoon in the sink and the empty container in the trash then grabbed the other half of her bagel and juice before heading out to the car. Arizona turned off the coffee pot then grabbed her coffee mug and followed her daughter out the door. She dropped Sofia at her friend's house to spend the day until dance class then headed in to work. When she walked into the attending's lounge, Meredith, Maggie, Amelia, Alex, Jo, Jackson and Callie were all already there. They were eating breakfast, drinking coffee and exchanging small talk. She greeted everyone with a good morning and they all acknowledged her back. Callie came over to her right away, almost as if she'd been waiting for her to get there.

"Did you tell Sofia she can't go on the camping trip?"

"Oh no" she said with a laugh. "I told you, that's all you".

"Arizona that's not fair" she whined. "Why do I have to tell her alone?"

"Because you're the one saying no Callie" she said stating the obvious.

"I'm telling you, camping is awesome" Jo said interjecting from across the room.

"You shut it, Karev" Callie said with a glare. "No one asked you".

"Hey, I am an attending now remember. You can't talk to me like that anymore" she shot back. "I deserve some respect". They all exchanged looks and then burst into laughter. Arizona went into the bathroom, still laughing, to change into her scrubs. Jo hit Alex on the arm. "You're supposed to back me up" she said unhappy that he was laughing with everyone else.

"I'm sorry" he said trying, unsuccessfully, to stifle his laughter. She scoffed at him.

"Jerk" she said shaking her head. She stole the last piece of his bagel from his plate and ate it as the laughter died down.

"I think you got the right idea" Maggie said jumping in with her own opinion. "Camping sucks. You don't want to subject Sofia to that".

"I'm not touching that one" Jackson said under his breath. She side eyed him.

"I heard that".

"I think he meant ya to" Amelia said with a chuckle.

"Does anyone else have an opinion about this?" Callie asked, though not really wanting anyone else to weigh in. No one said anything. "Great" she said sarcastically before grabbing her cup of coffee and leaving the lounge. Teddy and Owen were coming in as she was leaving. They both said hi to her but received no response.

"Something the matter with Callie?" Owen asked with concern in his voice.

"She woke up on the wrong side of the tent this morning" Alex quipped getting a laugh from everyone. They all started to disperse leaving Teddy and Owen standing there completely confused. Arizona emerged from the bathroom in her scrubs.

"Hey" she said greeting them.

"Hey" they both said. "What's wrong with Callie?" Teddy asked. Arizona groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Sofia's camping trip". Teddy nodded her understanding. She had told her the whole story about their disagreement over the trip. "I told her she has to be the one to tell Sofia she can't go". Owen was still confused.

"What camping trip? And why wouldn't she be able to go?"

"Her school is going on a camping trip next weekend and Callie doesn't think she should go because it's co-ed" she explained. He frowned.

"A school trip, that means supervision right?" Arizona nodded. "So, I don't get it. What's the problem? Camping is great".

"Callie thinks she's too young to go on an overnight trip with boys" Teddy said filling him in. His frown remained.

"But it's a supervised school trip" he said still confused.

"You're preaching to the choir" Arizona said putting her stethoscope around her neck. "Maybe you can try talking some sense into her" she said as she headed out. She had a few consults scheduled and two surgeries. She kept checking her email throughout the day to see if she had anything from Joey. She didn't. She said she would find her and she figured email would be the easiest way for Joey to contact her. She decided she would be more patient. It'd only been a day and a half, after all. At the end of the day, a group of them decided to go across the street to the bar to unwind from the day. On her way over to the bar, she talked to Sofia who was on her way home with Callie from dance class. Sofia always had a story to tell about the small adolescent dramas that always seemed to be happening between the girls. She was ready to say goodbye when they reached home. They said their "I love yous", wished each other a good night, then ended their call. When she walked into the bar, Meredith, Amelia, Maggie, Teddy, Jackson, Jo and Alex were already at a table. She ordered a vodka tonic and asked for it to be brought to the table. Even just ordering the drink made her think of Joey. She smiled to herself as she walked over and sat down in the open seat next to Teddy. The waiter came over and set her drink in front her. She thanked him as she shook out off her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair.

"So did Callie tell Sofia yet?" Teddy asked her as she got comfortable in her seat.

"She's avoiding it" she said with a shake of her head. "which she won't be able to do much longer because Sofia is going to ask her. Monday's the last day for her to turn in the permission slip". She pulled her phone from her pocket and checked her email again. She didn't know why she was so invested in hearing from this woman. They'd only met once and only talked for a few hours. Still, she couldn't help but obsessively check for some sign from her.

"That is the millionth time I've seen you check your email today" she said noticing her check it yet again. Arizona quickly closed out of the tab and put her phone back in her pocket. "Who's supposed to be emailing you?".

"Nobody" she said with a shrug.

"You're lying" Alex and Meredith said at the same time. They'd all known each other for so long, they could read each other like books.

"I am not lying" she said offended by the accusation. She took her first drink from her glass the waiter had just brought over and tried to hide the smile that came over her face.

"See" Alex said pointing at her, "See that smile. You're lying".

"I am not lying" she said defensively.

"You're definitely hiding something" Meredith said eyeing her. "Out with it".

"I'm interested" Maggie said leaning forward, ready to hear the story.

"Of course you are" Amelia said under her breath. Maggie lightly jabbed her in the side with her elbow as she lazily blocked the blow that she knew was coming.

"I'm interested too" Jo said chiming in.

"Yeah, me too" Teddy said looking over at her. "What's the deal?"

"I don't have a deal" she said with a shrug. "I just… I was hoping someone would email me today" she admitted. "It's not a big deal" she said hoping they would move on.

"Who?" Alex asked. She just knew he'd be the one to keep pestering her. She took another drink without answering. "Come on, out with it. If you don't start talking, we all have to go back to listening to Maggie complain about how terrible online dating is" he joked.

"Hey" Maggie said taking offense while everyone else laughed.

"Ok, fine" she said finally giving in. Partly because she knew he wouldn't let it go but also because she really did want to talk about the beautiful woman she'd met. "I… met someone".

"Ha! I knew it" Alex said pleased with himself.

"I didn't sleep with her" she said, letting him know he didn't get it all right. He pursed his lips and gazed at her through squinted eyes, conveying his disbelief. "I didn't" she insisted.

"Ok, so what happened?" Teddy asked intrigued by this pronouncement of a possible new love interest. "She was supposed to email you and flaked?"

"And how did she keep you up all night if you didn't sleep with her?" Meredith asked siding with Alex on the disbelief.

"She didn't keep me up all night. I was just out late with her".

"So, what happened?" Teddy asked again, impatiently waiting for details.

"Nothing happened. I met her at the bar. She was my trivia partner and we won" she said bragging. "So we got free drinks until closing and we… we just talked" she said smiling as she remembered their conversation. "We talked until the bar closed. We walked out together and she said she would find me".

"Find you?" Amelia asked with distaste in her tone. "Why does she have to find you? Why didn't you just give her your number?"

"I- I…." she blew air, "I asked her if she wanted to exchange numbers but she said she'd find me" she explained. They all looked at her questioningly. "I know it's… it's weird" she admitted.

"Weird? She blew you off and you're still looking for an email from her. That's weird" Alex said crassly.

"Alex" Meredith said, chastising him.

"Well, wait a minute" Jackson said joining in the conversation, "How exactly was she supposed to be finding you?"

"Google I guess" she said with a shrug. "She said there couldn't be too many fetal surgeons named Arizona".

"Well, that's true" Amelia agreed.

"Yeah so, she might not have been blowing you off" Jackson said. Nobody else seemed to share his optimism.

"Well, what'd you talk about?" Jo asked curiously. "Did she seem interested?" Arizona's smile grew wide.

"Ok" Meredith said laughing, "That smile". They all knew that smile. It was her highly confident, slightly impressed with herself smile.

"She was… definitely interested" she said confidently. "But she was… she was…" she struggled to find the right way to describe her, "hesitant? I did most of the talking" she admitted.

"Oh no" Maggie said shaking her head. "You brought the thunder".

"The what?" Arizona asked with a confused chuckle.

"The thunder" she repeated. "It's what I do sometimes when I'm nervous. I talk a lot to hide it so that people take me seriously and don't think I'm scared and small" she explained. "You brought the thunder".

"Remember you did that to me on your first day?" Jo asked over the straw still in her mouth. Maggie laughed.

"Oh yeah, totally" she nodded.

"And you called me every name except my actual name".

"Yeah, I did that too" she said slightly apologetic.

"I didn't bring any thunder" Arizona argued. "I wasn't nervous… at all" she added. "I was completely comfortable" she said remembering how easy it was to talk to her. "Oh god" she said remembering more and more how easy it was to talk to her. "Maybe I was too comfortable. What if I scared her off?"

"Why would she be scared off?" Teddy asked.

"What'd you say?" Meredith asked as she waved to get the waiter's attention. She gestured for another round for the entire table, getting a nod of acknowledgement.

"Everything" she said mortified. "I told her everything".

"What's everything?" Teddy asked needing more detail.

"I... told her about Sofia". Everyone thought that was logical. "I told her that I'm divorced and… I basically told her the entire history of my relationship with Callie". They all stared at her, wondering how much history was the entire history.

"A-An-And by "entire history" you mean…." Teddy asked leaving the end open for her response.

"I mean _entire_ history" she repeated. "Africa. Callie and Mark and how we had Sofia. Callie and Penny, the custody battle, New York". She listed all the things she told her. "Oh my god" she said covering her mouth, "I even told her I cheated on Callie" she said with embarrassment. They all physically and audibly cringed.

"Wait, what? You cheated on Callie?" Maggie asked in shock.

"Where have you been?" Alex asked before taking a drink from his fresh beer.

"It was before you moved here" Jo said, getting her up to speed.

"Why would you tell her _that_?" Meredith asked, snickering through her discomfort for Arizona.

"Yeah, that's not exactly… first conversation information" Teddy chimed in.

"Well, I didn't plan for it to come out" she said obviously. "It was just so easy to talk to her" she said expressing what she'd been thinking. "She wasn't very interested in talking about herself. Is that a military thing?" she asked looking at Teddy. "You're getting to know someone you're interested in and you just let them do all the talking?"

"Wha... have you met me?" she asked joking but serious.

"What did she say when you told her about stepping out on Callie?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, how did she react?" Jackson asked. He wasn't usually interested in "girl talk" but he was completely tuned in to Arizona's story.

"She didn't say anything" she shrugged. "She didn't even seem put off by it" she said actively remembering that particular part of the conversation. "She just listened. She was a _fantastic_ listener" she said with a smile.

"Ok, so she listened" Alex said slouching forward, "but what did she share? I mean, what do you know about her?"

"Umm, well she's in the military" she started with the most important thing she knew. "It's why she moved here. She has a big family".

"Oh, how big is her family?" Jo asked interested in how in depth she went.

"One bigger than the Sheppard's" she said looking at Amelia.

"Shut up" she said surprised. People always thought five kids was a lot. Growing up there weren't many families as big as the Sheppard's.

"Mom, dad, four brothers and a sister. All military at some point" she said giving the breakdown.

"Damn. Mom and dad were getting busy" she jested.

"I bet they're all welcome home babies" Alex said, joining in on the joke. They all laughed.

"Ok" Maggie said through her laughter, "what else?"

"We were in med school in Maryland at the same time".

"Oh no way" Maggie said delighted by the coincidence.

"That's cool" Jo said also pleased.

"Get to the good stuff" Alex said impatiently. "Who'd she cheat on?"

"Alex" Jo said smacking him on the shoulder. Meredith and Jackson laughed.

"She didn't say she ever cheated on anyone".

"Ignore him" Jo said rolling her eyes. "What else did she tell you?" she asked encouraging her to go on. Arizona blew air as she thought about what else she knew about Joey.

"Umm" she said as she struggled to remember anything else she knew. "She, uh…" They all waited for her to go on.

"That's all you know?" Alex asked dissatisfied. "When and where she went to medical school and that her family is big and military?" She nodded hesitantly. "That's only two things. You practically told her your life's story and she only told you two things?"

"Oh, honey" Amelia said with a sympathetic frown.

"Well, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I didn't tell Derek that much about me when we started dating" Meredith said hoping to make her feel better.

"And he didn't tell you he was married" Alex shot back at her. "You were even".

"She did say she was a great listener. That's something... good" Jackson said, also trying to make her feel better. "Maybe she just... needs time before she can open up to talk about herself".

"Yeah, yeah" Teddy agreed, "Maybe it's… that" she said hesitantly. It was obvious they were grasping at straws.

"She had to tell you more than that" Jo said hopeful. "I mean, you were talking until the bar closed. She had to contribute something".

"She's a trauma surgeon. She did her residency in Hawaii" she remembered. Her smile grew again. "She guessed where my name came from before I told her" she said happily. "Nobody's ever done that before. And she really admires her parents. She chose a post here to be closer to them. They live in California with her sister".

"See, there's more" Jo said happily. "What else?"

"What's her name?" Maggie asked, realizing she never said.

"Joey" she said simply. They all looked at her waiting for more.

"That… that's it" Teddy asked. "Just Joey". Arizona nodded.

"She didn't tell you her last name?" She shook her head.

"But I didn't tell her mine either" she said in her defense.

"Yeah, but Joey is like a nickname" Meredith said before finishing her drink. "What's her whole first name?" Arizona realized for the first time that she'd never said her full first name. "You don't know" she stated more than asked. She shook her head in defeat.

"So, even if you wanted to look her up, you wouldn't be able to" Amelia deduced.

"She's totally not gonna email you" Alex said finishing his beer.

"Alex" Jo said chastising him yet again. "You're all being so negative" she said looking around at the long faces. They felt bad for Arizona because they could tell from the way she talked about this woman that she actually really liked her. "None of it means anything. How little she talked or not telling you her whole name. Maybe she didn't talk about herself much because she was completely interested in everything you had to say. And maybe she only told you her nickname because she was comfortable and relaxed and didn't want to be all… formal with you" she said giving another, more positive interpretation to her behavior. "You won't know, you can't know, unless you talk to her again".

"Well how's she supposed to do that if she can't find her?" Maggie asked, bringing back the negativity.

"It hasn't even been a full forty-eight hours since they met" she reminded them. "You said she's in the military and she just moved here" she said turning her attention back to Arizona. "So maybe she's busy getting settled in or maybe she had a training thing and hasn't had time to look you up" she said throwing out some possibilities that didn't include her blowing Arizona off. "Just give it some more time before you give up".

"Damn" Amelia said impressed with her optimism. "Now, I'm hopeful for you". Arizona laughed.

"I won't give up" she assured her. "Can we talk about something else now please?" she asked hoping they could move on.

"Something other than sucky internet dating" Alex said before Maggie got started again. Arizona loved the new, post therapy Jo who was full of hope and optimism. If it weren't for her being there, giving her encouragement, she might've listened to the others and thought it was a lost cause. She looked to Jo and mouthed a grateful "thank you" to her as the conversation moved on to Teddy talking about some crazy patients she had in the ER that day. She decided she would hold on to hope. One thing she knew for sure was that Joey was interested in her. Even if she had reservations about seeing her again, she knew, at least, that she wanted to. _"That's not nothing"_ she thought to herself as she listened to the conversation going on around her. She remembered something else Joey said. She was staying positive that she would get what she wanted. So, that's what she would do too. Just stay positive.


	5. Chapter 5: Welcome to Grey Sloan

**AN: No, Joey is not based on me. If that's what "Mary Sue" fic means then this is definitely not that. Lol. Joey is actually based on my idea of how Arizona might be had she been in the military like her father and brother. Also, I think it's funny that I'm being called "whiny" and a "crybaby" when 1. I haven't whined or cried about anything and 2. the comments are littered with people literally whining because I won't untag Callie from my story. Anyway, here's more chapters. As always, please keep your comments respectful and constructive (although, from the comments, it seems a futile request. lol). Peace, blessings and hope for an awesome day to everyone!**

Chapter 5: Welcome to Grey Sloan

Joey woke up in the afternoon on Friday and lounged around her apartment for most of the day. Around five in the evening, she went out for a jog. She ordered in for dinner and watched tv in her living room then called her mother and her sister. When she got off the phone, she watched more tv then went to bed. Saturday morning, she got up and went out for a jog first thing. She'd taken a different route every day since she moved into her apartment, figuring it was a good way for her to learn the neighborhood. She returned to her apartment, showered, got dressed, made herself breakfast then went into her living room. It was the only room in her apartment that was clean and put together. Her parents had ordered her furniture and had it shipped to her. There was a blue couch and love seat, a black center table and end table, lamps and blue grey and white patterned curtains. She didn't even have to ask. It was her first time not living in military housing since medical school and the first time she was living in civilian housing without roommates. They wanted to get her a nice housewarming gift. So, naturally, they furnished her entire living room. She couldn't complain. It was one less thing for her to worry about. The only thing she had to buy was the tv that was now mounted on her wall and the desk she would use for any work she brought home. Her bedroom and kitchen, though, were still cluttered with boxes, waiting to be unpacked. She sat down at her desk and checked her email then pulled up google, typing in "Arizona + fetal surgeon + Seattle". She was about to press enter but pressed the backspace button instead. She shut her laptop and took her plate to the kitchen then grabbed her phone and put on music. It linked to the Bluetooth speaker in her living room and started playing music through the apartment as she went to her room to finally start unpacking.

She'd already been to the store to buy hangers and dividers for her drawers. She liked everything to be neat and organized, inspection ready. She hung her combat uniforms first then her dress uniforms which she put in plastic protection bags and zipped them up. Then she hung all her civilian clothes. She opened the storage shelves she'd bought for her shoes and put them together. Luckily, there was enough space to for them to fit in her closet and they wouldn't have to take up room along the bedroom wall. Next, she went over to her dresser and put in the dividers before placing her PT shirts and shorts, uniform t shirts, civilian t shirts, tanks and joggers, pajama shirts and pants, underwear, bras, sports bras and socks in their respective drawers. She put up her curtains then unpacked her toiletries and put them in her bathroom. Next, she put up the posters her sister gave her. The canvases she gave her would go in the living room. She always told her that she needed more color in her life. Joey told her she didn't need anything more colorful than her. Still, she promised her she would put her art up on the walls so, as always, she was keeping her promise. She took them into the living room and put up the canvases on nails that were already in the walls. She unpacked her lock box next. She opened it, inspected her weapon, secured it back inside the lock box then put it in the nightstand drawer next to where her bed would go once it arrived. So far, she'd been sleeping on the floor in her sleeping bag. The next box she unpacked had her towels. Another had her sheets and blankets. Another had quilts and comforters. She stocked them all on the shelves in her hallway closet. The box marked miscellaneous contained her blow dryer, straightening iron, hair products, cleaning products and small trinkets she'd collected from various places. She unpacked it and its contents also went in the hall closet.

Finally, she went to the kitchen to unpack all of her dishes and appliances. She was glad that she was a simple person with small but cozy apartment. It was just perfect for her. Her parents wanted her to get a bigger place but she knew what would happen if she had extra bedrooms. They would feel free to pop in and make themselves comfortable and she'd never be able to get rid of them. She loved her family but she grew up crowded by them. Now she needed her personal space. She was putting away the last of her dishes when her music stopped and her cellphone started to ring. She went over to the living room and grabbed it from the table.

"Hello" she answered. "Yes, hi. Really?" she said excitedly. "N-no, that's, that would be great" she said pleased with the news she was getting. "Yes" she said acknowledging the instructions she was being given. "I understand. Thank you. Thank you very much. See you Monday". She hung up the phone and returned it to the table. It reconnected to the speaker and resumed playing her music. She could've jumped for joy if she were the type of person to jump for joy. It was the chief of surgery from her first choice hospital. She'd interviewed with her and the department head earlier that week and was waiting for a call about whether she had gotten the job. She was officially offering her a position as an attending trauma surgeon. She would be starting work on Monday morning. It was her first time interviewing for civilian jobs and the chief of surgery at a first rate hospital found her and her resume impressive enough to bring her on to her staff. She thought of Arizona and what she'd told her about remaining positive. It wasn't like her to put all her eggs in one basket, to not have a contingency plan in place. This time it paid off. She wanted to call her and tell her that staying positive had worked out in her favor. Again, she thought about looking her up like she said she would. She called her parents instead and told them the good news. They were very proud of her and, over her objections, promised to send her a gift. She talked to them for an hour, arguing about when they could come to Seattle for a visit. They wanted to come the next weekend but Joey didn't think it was a good idea. It would be her first week of work and she didn't know how much free time she would have. She finally told them to give her some time to get more settled in. Once she was in a solid routine, she'd be better able to give them a date to visit. They said their goodbyes then she went back to the kitchen to finish unpacking the last of her boxes.

She decided she would go out to celebrate on her own. She went and freshened up, changed her clothes and went out to have a drink. She met an attractive brunette and she chatted with her at the bar. They had several drinks then left together and went back to her place where they had several more drinks before making their way to the bedroom. By now, she couldn't even remember the woman's name but it didn't matter. She didn't plan on ever seeing her again. She waited until her companion was asleep to quietly get out of the bed, get dressed and head home. She took a shower and climbed into bed to sleep off her celebratory night. The next day, she woke up with a splitting headache. She made herself a smoothie for breakfast and took two ibuprofens before going to the lounge in her living room on the couch. She drank her smoothie, watched a movie and texted back and forth with her sister, telling her about her celebratory hookup. She asked her when she'd stop being such a slut and settle down. Joey laughed as she texted back that she was single and entitled to a sex life. She was in no rush to settle down. Her brothers had all texted her as well, congratulating her on the new job. Her parents had wasted no time spreading the good news. She spent most of the day on the couch before forcing herself to get up and go for a run. Not wanting to exert the effort of thinking up a new route, she repeated one for the first time since she'd moved there. It was a short run; less than an hour from start to finish. Once she got home, she showered and ordered in again for dinner, noting that she needed to make a trip to the grocery store. She ate in front of the tv then cleaned up and went to bed by ten. She wanted to be well rested for her first day at work.

Her alarm went off the next morning at five. She got up and went out for a run, making it back to her apartment by six thirty. She showered, brushed her teeth, washed her face and got dressed then went down to the kitchen. She opened her fridge to see what she could make herself for breakfast. There were grapes, a pack of strawberry banana yogurts, and a jar of peaches. "I really need to go to the store" she said to herself before grabbing a yogurt and shutting the refrigerator door. She opened it, grabbed a spoon from the drawer and took a mouthful as she walked over to the living room and grabbed her gym bag from the floor next to her desk. She tossed a memo book and a notepad inside and put her wallet and a few pens in the side pocket before heading back to the kitchen, eating yogurt as she walked. There was one pack of Gatorade left on top of the frig. She grabbed a bottle and put it in the bag as well. "_Really_…. need to go to the store" she said again. She opened the cabinet and took down one of her reusable water bottles. While searching for the matching lid in the drawer, she filled the bottle with water. Once she found the lid, she screwed it on the bottle while looking around the kitchen, over to the living room. She couldn't think of anything else she needed to take with her. Maybe she was overthinking and she didn't really need anything. It was her first day after all. She ran back upstairs and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. Then she realized that she would need shoes for the OR and maybe a change of clothes. She went in the closet and grabbed her tennis shoes then went to her drawer and pulled out a pair of pants and a t shirt. It was now ten minutes after seven. She grabbed her jacket and put it on then went back downstairs, put her shoes and change of clothes in her gym bag and finished her yogurt. After putting her bag on her shoulder, she grabbed her water bottle then headed out the door. She made it all the way to her car before she realized she didn't have her keys. With an eye roll at herself, she went back inside and grabbed them from the table just inside the door, then shut and locked the door behind her and made the trip to work.

She walked through the doors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and took in the view. There wasn't a military uniform in sight. It would take some getting used to but she figured that was the smallest adjustment she'd have to worry about making. Everyone moved so gracefully. This pair having a conversation as they walked one way. That person reading as they walked the other. No one seemed in too much of a hurry. That would definitely take some getting used to. Everyone in a military hospital moved like they had somewhere important to be, even if they didn't. "Walk with a purpose" they'd always say. She made her way to the elevator and found her way to personnel to get her orientation packet and her new badge. With those in hand, she found a hospital map on the wall and looked for the way to the ER. Back to the elevator she went. Then up one floor, down the hall, around one corner; down another hall, another corner and heaven. It was the busiest ER she had seen in a long time. The setup was top notch. She quickly identified and counted the examination beds, twelve in all. Then the trauma rooms. Three. She looked across the room and saw through a sliding glass door a big x ray machine. Lodox. She'd never seen one up close let alone had the opportunity to use one. She looked over at the digital board. She watched for a minute and it updated before her eyes. Heaven. She saw Dr. Altman at the nurses' station and made her way over, through the hustle and bustle, to speak to her.

"Dr. Altman" she said getting her attention. "Hi" she said with a smile.

"Hi" Teddy said back with a slightly confused looked on her face.

"Johanna Rajah. You interviewed me last week" she reminded her.

"Oh! Yes, of course" she said as it dawned on her who she was. "Dr. Rajah. I-I-I remember" she stammered. "I'm sorry, it's been a crazy morning and we're just getting started".

"Yeah, I can see that. It looks great" she said receiving a sideways glance from her department head. "I mean… busy. It looks busy" she awkwardly corrected.

"This is Dr. Owen Hunt" she said pointing to her companion. "He's another of our trauma surgeons here. Owen was also in the army. We served together" she said proudly. "Dr. Rajah is a major in the reserves. She just transferred to the medical unit at Fort Lewis"

"Owen" he said extending his hand. "Welcome to Grey Sloan".

"Johanna" she said taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. "Thank you. Really glad to be here".

"Dr. Altman" they heard from the other side of the desk. It was a doctor in light blue scrubs. Drs. Altman and Hunt wore dark blue scrubs. Some others wore green. She figured the colors were a part of a ranking system, though she hadn't been told what it was yet. "We have incoming" he said still holding the phone to his ear. "Some kind of ceiling collapse. We're getting… twelve of the victims. Four major, eight minor" he said giving her the info as he got it. "They're ten minutes out".

"Ok everybody, let's set up for incoming" she announced through the ER. "Move our ambulatory patients to wheelchairs. If you have someone being admitted, get them upstairs ASAP. We need clear beds. Stock the trauma rooms for critical care. Make sure we've got enough O neg on hand. Page Drs. Grey, Webber, neuro, cardio, ortho and any free residents and interns. We're gonna need all hands". Everyone started moving, carrying out the orders she'd given them. "Ready to hit the ground running?" Dr. Altman asked her as walked backwards, taking short glances behind her to watch her step.

"Absolutely" she said excitedly. She took her bag off her shoulder and set it on the desk then took off her jacket and the red and black flannel button down shirt she was wearing, leaving her wearing a black t shirt. She tossed them on top of her gym bag then followed Dr. Altman to get ready for their incoming traumas.


	6. Chapter 6: Johanna Rajah, MD

Chapter 6: Johanna Rajah, M.D.

"Gowns and gloves are stocked up over here" Teddy said pointing to the bins attached to the wall holding yellow gowns and boxes of different sized gloves. Teddy handed her a gown and a pair of medium gloves. She took them and followed her as she headed towards the double sliding emergency room doors to the ambulance bay. A couple of people were already outside, putting on their gowns and gloves. "And we wait here for the ambulances" she said stating the obvious. Joey secured her gown and snapped on her gloves. "This is Dr. Schmidt and Dr. Helm" she said pointing to them respectively, "two of our fourth year surgical residents. Schmidt, Helm meet Dr. Rajah, our new trauma surgery attending".

"Hi" Helm said enthusiastically.

"Hi" Schmidt said with a timid wave. "Nice to meet you". The sliding doors opened behind them and another doctor came out to meet the ambulances with them.

"Dr. Rajah, this is Dr. Casey Parker" Owen said making another of many introductions she'd have to go through today. "Parker is our front runner for chief resident. Parker, this is Dr. Johanna Rajah. She's our new trauma surgery attending. It's her first day so make sure all the residents meet her and make her feel welcome".

"Ma'am" he said respectfully. "Nice to meet you" he said with a nod and a smile.

"Nice to meet you too".

"Parker is prior service as well. Air Force" Owen said.

"I guess it doesn't wear off" she said referring to his courteousness.

"Not for some of us anyway". Two ambulances came pulling in, lights and sirens going. Owen and Teddy stepped forward.

"Helm, you're with me" Altman said heading for the first ambulance.

"Schmidt with me" Hunt said heading for the second. "You take the next one" he said pointing to Joey. She nodded.

"So, where you coming from ma'am?" Parker asked as they waited for the next ambulance. They moved off to the side as Teddy and Owen came by with their residents and the EMTs, wheeling their patients inside.

"Uh, Germany" she said simply.

"Germany, wow" he said. "Didn't pick up the accent?" he joked.

"Oh, no" she said with a laugh. "I'm not susceptible, I guess".

"Did you work with Dr. Altman?"

"No, I didn't".

"Ah. I thought maybe with her having worked over there…" he explained. "Anyway, welcome to Grey Sloan".

"Thanks" she said as the next ambulance came pulling in. "I guess you're with me" she said slightly asking. He looked around.

"I guess so". They met the ambulance as it came to a stop. The doors opened and EMTs emerged and immediately started shouting out the stats as they unloaded the patient. They spoke louder as two more ambulances pulled in with the sirens going. More doctors came out to meet them and receive the new patients as they headed inside. They passed the first and second trauma rooms which were already occupied by Altman and Hunt. "Trauma three is over there" Parker pointed. She nodded and directed their patient's gurney that way.

"Ok. Transfer on three". She gave the count and they transferred the patient from the ambulance gurney to one of their own. The EMTs took their gear and cleared out. "Let's get him on the monitor and get some fresh vitals, please". They got to work getting his clothes off and hooking him up to the monitors. She could see now from introductions and what different people were doing in the trauma room what the scrub colors meant. Light blue was for surgical residents. Dark blue for attendings. Nurses wore green. "I need a standard trauma panel, type and cross, and hang a liter LR" she said ordering her labs. She noticed the bruising across his chest resulting from the slab of ceiling that fell on him during the collapse. "Let's get a portable chest as well, please" she added. "Hi, Alan" she said remembering his name from the paramedics. "I'm Dr. Rajah" she said with a caring smile, "I know you're in some pain but I want you to just try and relax, ok? We're gonna take good care of you" she said giving his shoulder a soothing rub. He gave a nod and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths of oxygen being pumped into his mouth and nose by the mask on his face. "How are we doing with those vitals?" she asked, looking for an update as she listened to his heart and lungs. He had good breath sounds but she detected a slight murmur. Joey removed the buds of her stethoscope from her ears and hung it around her neck.

"B/P is holding at one hundred and two over seventy-eight. Heart rate's at one fifteen. Pulse ox is ninety two" the nurse announced as she changed the bag on his IV.

"Alan, have you ever been told that you have a heart murmur?" she asked looking down at him. He shook his head no. She deduced that he probably sustained a contusion from the trauma. Something to keep an eye on. In addition to the obvious bruising and lacerations to his chest, he had a wound on his head that had soaked through the dressings the paramedics had applied. She lifted it to reveal the gash underneath. She examined the cut "Can I get some fresh dressings for this head lac, please?" she asked the nurse as she continued with her physical examination. Then she stopped. "Dr. Parker" she said getting his attention. "This is a teaching hospital right?"

"Yes, it is" he said with a nod.

"So why don't you take over the physical exam. Talk me through your findings, make your diagnosis and tell me your treatment plan" she said taking her hands off the patient.

"Uh, okay". He took over where she let off with his head lac. "Head lac is pretty deep. It'll need suturing" he said examining the gash. "No step off" he said palpating the area around the injury with his fingers. He took out his pen light and looked in the patient's eyes, "pupils are round" he said flashing the light in his eyes, "equal and reactive. I think he should get a full neuro exam just to be safe" he said confidently. He turned to the nurse and asked for a page to the neurosurgeon on call. The technician came in with the portable x-ray machine. Drs. Rajah and Parker put on aprons and the others stepped out while the films were taken. The technician cleared out and the other staff filed back in to continue caring for their patient. Parker moved on to an abdominal exam and noted that there was guarding and rebound which indicated some internal injuries and possible need for exploratory surgery.

"You're doing fine but you're missing something" she said. "You're taking care of a conscious patient" she reminded him. "Talk to him".

"Oh, right. Of course" he said with a nervous laugh. He wasn't usually like this but being evaluated by a new attending was making him uneasy. It definitely didn't help that he found her incredibly attractive. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself in front a beautiful and obviously very capable new attending. "How are you doing Mr. Houser?" he asked addressing the patient for the first time. "Can you tell me where you're having any pain or discomfort?" Alan reached up and pulled the mask down from his face.

"Chest hurts. It's get… getting harder…. to breath" he informed him.

"Ok, let's take another listen here" he said as he took his stethoscope from around his neck to continue his exam. Joey kept her eyes on the monitor, watching Alan's vitals as he did his exam. They were just starting to trend down but were not yet alarming. She was reserving action to continue assessing what her resident was capable of. The door to the exam room slid open and a short brunette woman in dark blue scrubs entered.

"Neuro's here" she announced energetically. "Parker, what have we got?"

"Uh, Alan Houser, ceiling collapse victim. Deep head lac. No step off. Pupils were equal and reactive on exam but I thought he needed a full neuro exam just to be safe".

"Your patient is taking a turn Dr. Parker. Talk and work at the same time please", Joey said bringing him back from his update. "And faster. Let's try to stay ahead of his vitals, okay" she said in hushed voice. "Hang in there Alan" she said louder, calming the patient. Amelia proceeded with her neuro check and Parker got back to his exam.

"Short respirations" he said listening to his lungs. He moved the diaphragm over his chest to listen to his heart, "and muffled heart sounds".

"So, what are you gonna do?"

"Can I get the portable ultrasound please?" he asked looking to the nurse. He nodded and moved to get it for him. He pushed the ultrasound over, retrieved the wand and handed it to him. Parker turned it on as the nurse put a small amount of ultrasound gel on Alan's chest, then placed the probe on his chest and moved it around to obtain a good visual of his injuries.

"Neuro exam seems clear but I wanna scan him" Amelia said as she stepped away from the patient. "His pupils are getting a little sluggish and I can't be sure that it's not from his head injury. Can you add it to his orders, Dr?" she said leaving it open for an answer.

"Oh Rajah" she answered realizing she was talking to her. "Johanna Rajah, new trauma surgeon. Nice to meet you".

"Amelia Sheppard, neuro. Nice to meet you too" she said nicely. "So, you'll add the head CT to his orders?"

"Yeah, you got it" she said with a nod. Amelia nodded and gave an appreciative smile as she made her exit. "Ok, Parker tell me what you see" she said looking at the monitor from her side of the bed.

"There's fluid in the pericardium" he said studying the scan.

"Diagnosis?"

"Pericardial effusion" he said confidently. "Should we page cardio?" he asked looking to his attending.

"Should we?" she asked with a shrug.

"It's, uh, it's kinda protocol for a patient presenting with cardiac symptoms".

"Ok. Let's page cardio. What's next?"

"Pericardiocentesis to evacuate the fluid and relieve pressure on the heart".

"No" she said simply.

"Uh… it's not?" he asked confused.

"Your patient's still conscious. Next you explain to him what's happening". She could tell he was well trained but it seemed his nerves were getting in the way.

"Mr. Houser, the trauma from the slab falling on your chest has caused some fluid to build up in the sac around your heart. It's what's causing your chest pain and shortness of breath" he explained as Joey lowered the head of his bed. "I'm going to use a needle to extract the fluid and allow your heart to beat properly".

"I don't want you to worry, Alan" she said seeing the look of worry on his face at the thought of having a needle put into his heart. "You're in excellent hands" she reassured him.

"Do you have any drug allergies that you know of?" Parker asked. He shook his head no. "Ok". He ordered lidocaine and asked for an eighteen-gauge needle. "You're just gonna feel a little pinch and some burning with the local now" he said as he administered the local anesthetic. Joey adjusted the ultrasound monitor and positioned the wand on his chest for him to see. He inserted the needle and began to withdraw the fluid. He only got a small amount of fluid in the syringe before he couldn't withdraw anymore. She moved the wand to get a view from another angle and saw that he now had collapse of the right ventricle and a clot had formed.

"Dammit" she said under her breath. "He's tamponading". She told him to withdraw the needle. They'd have to use a different approach. She asked about their cardio consult that hadn't arrived yet. They paged again just as their patient lost consciousness.

"B/P is bottoming out, heart rate's up to one twenty-seven. Pulse ox down to eighty four on one hundred percent O2" the nurse announced as his vitals began to nosedive.

"Ok. Intubation tray, fifty of etomidate, one hundred of succinylcholine and set up for subxiphoid pericardial window please" she said deciding to take over. His blood pressure was now dangerously low and she wanted to make every effort to prevent cardiac arrest. "Hang a unit of O neg and another liter of LR. I'm assuming you know how to intubate" she said looking to Parker. He nodded and moved quickly around to the head of the bed to place the tube.

"I'm in" he said announcing the placement of the tube. The nurse attached the ambu bag and began ventilation. He returned to the side of the bed and listened to his chest to check proper placement of the tube then watched as she did the pericardial window. She performed the procedure with grace and ease, as if she had done it countless times before. Muscle memory. Blood rushed out of the open incision she made in the pericardium, causing only a slight improvement in his blood pressure. "Systolic is up to fifty-seven" Parker informed her. "Holding there". She couldn't get to the clot through the incision she'd made. She asked Parker for more retraction on the clamp, giving her more room to maneuver. Still, she couldn't get to the clot. She had wanted to avoid opening his chest but she had no choice now.

"Dammit" she said making one last effort. "I can't get to the clot. I'm gonna have to open his chest. Thoracotomy tray, please". They cleared out one tray and replaced it with another. Parker smiled slightly. He noticed how she always managed to say please. He couldn't think of another doctor who took the time for that courtesy. She made her incision and opened his chest to get better exposure and visualization to evacuate the clot. Just as she finished opening his chest, his heart arrested. "Starting cardiac massage" she said as she gently but firmly squeezed his heart, attempting to restore its rhythm. The trauma room doors opened and Maggie entered.

"I've got your portable chest scans" she said looking down at the tablet in her hands. "They look clear. No aortic injuries". She looked up to see an unfamiliar doctor doing cardiac massage. "What the…" she rushed over. "What are you doing?" she asked as if it weren't obvious. "Who are you?" She ignored the new incredibly rude and unhelpful doctor who'd just entered the room and focused on her patient. She continued massaging his heart until, a few seconds later, it restarted.

"We've got a heartbeat" Parker confirmed upon seeing a rhythm on the monitor. Joey widened her incision on the pericardium so she could visualize and remove the clot. Maggie was still trying to figure out who she was.

"Excuse me, I can take over from here" she said trying to insert herself.

"I've got it, thanks" Joey said without looking at her.

"Who are you?" Maggie asked again, still not understanding where this person came from. She wasn't wearing any scrubs and she had never seen her before. "Who gave you privileges here?" She continued to ignore her and successfully removed the clot. Without any further blockage, she could see his heart starting to beat stronger through the window in his pericardium.

"Blood pressure's up, one thirty-two over ninety. Normal sinus rhythm" the nurse announced with some delight in her voice.

"Nice job, Dr. Rajah" Parker said impressed.

"Thank you" said as she stepped back and removed her gloves and gown. "Can we get some adhesive drapes on his chest, please?" she politely asked to the nurse next to her. "Dr. Parker, can you get him up to CT?" she asked.

"Head and abdomen?" She nodded. "I'm on it". Once his chest was covered with the adhesive dressing, they wheeled Mr. Houser out of the trauma room and up to get his pre-op scans. Without acknowledging Maggie, Joey followed them back out into the ER. She looked around to see if her help was needed anywhere else. It seemed everyone had their patients under control. She made her way back over to the admitting desk. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it back on then grabbed her bag, shoved her jacket inside and put it on her shoulder.

"Hi". She turned around to see a very pretty red head in dark blue scrubs standing there with a smile. "I'm April Kepner" she said gesturing to herself. "And you must be Dr. Rajah".

"Yeah, that's me" she said with a soft smile.

"Teddy, uh, Dr. Altman had to take her patient straight up to the OR so she wanted me to give you the tour". One thing Joey was noticing was that this hospital had quite a few upbeat and enthusiastic doctors. "It's settling down in here so I thought we could do that now before we get another wave" she suggested. "If you have time" she added.

"Umm…. I just sent my patient up to CT so…"

"Oh perfect" she exclaimed. "I'll show you all the important places, like the lab and the cafeteria…" she thought for a moment, "forget the cafeteria" she said waving off the idea. "We don't have to go by there but it's on two if you get hungry. Also the auditorium where we have lectures is on two. The lectures are always posted so you can decide in advance which you wanna go to". She started walking. Joey followed. They came to a stop in front of the elevators and April pushed the up button. "The lab and radiology on this floor are down this hall and around the corner. There's two more of each in the hospital on three and five. The outpatient surgery clinic is on three. The attendings take turns being assigned there. We can just swing by for now. Then we can go up to the fourth floor nurses station, that's where the OR board is and it's usually where we gather for big surgical staff meetings and announcements. Then we can swing by the media room and the skills lab. There's quite a few throughout the hospital but you'll probably use the rooms on four the most" she said pushing the button impatiently. The elevator dinged and the doors finally opened. They let people exit before they entered for their ride up to the third floor. "Oh, I'll show you the dispensary too so you can get some scrubs" she said noticing she was still in her street clothes. "Then I'll show you the attending's lounge. You can change in there and put your bag away. From there we can swing by CT and check on your patient's scans and get you to the OR with plenty of time to scrub in for your surgery".

"Sounds good" she said with a polite smile.

"So, Teddy says you're in the Army".

"Yeah" she nodded. "Reserves".

"I spent some time in Jordan volunteering with an awesome group of soldiers" she said happily. "It was _amazing_ work. Have you ever been?" she asked. "To Jordan?"

"Uh, no" she shook her head. They exited the elevator on their floor. She followed April's lead through the halls.

"There's the lab" she pointed. There was a long line of people in different colored scrubs waiting to get their results. "I'm sure you've noticed the different colored scrubs everyone wears".

"Yeah, I noticed. Surgery is blue, right? And nursing is green". April nodded.

"Yep. ER wears brown, OB wears pink, psychiatry wears orange and I think dermatology is light purple" she said with a chuckle. "I always wonder who decided the colors" she said as they kept walking through the halls. "Thank god we got blue, right?"

"Right" she said slightly distracted by trying to notice and remember the rooms she was passing by.

"Right. Ok" April said with a sigh. Joey was definitely not as upbeat as she was. It made for a very awkward dynamic. They stopped in the outpatient surgery clinic for a minute where she introduced her to Dr. DeLuca who was assigned to cover the clinic that day. From there they went to another elevator and April, again, pushed the up arrow. "So, how'd you chose Seattle?" she asked trying to make conversation.

"Um, I had a few options for my next post and this is closest to my parents and my sister" she explained. "They're in California".

"Oh, that's nice" she said genuinely. "So, did you work with Teddy when you were in Germany?" The elevator arrived and they got on.

"No" she said simply. "I- I'd heard of her, of course, being a woman and chief of MEDCOM but I'd never met her personally. I was stationed at Landstuhl". The elevator stopped and the doors opened for them to exit, this time on the fourth floor. April took her by the dispensary for a pair of scrubs, as promised, then showed her to the OR board. They found out she'd be in OR four for her patient's exploratory laparotomy. Parker found them there. Their patient was done in CT and up in pre-op being prepped for surgery.

"Oh, where can I review his scans" she asked.

"Oh, here" he said handing her his tablet. She hesitantly took it from him.

"We get tablets?" she asked intrigued.

"Well, we don't get our own personal tablets. We share" April said with a shrug. "But yeah. There are charging ports at all of the nurse's stations. You can just take one and use your code to access patient files and scans" she explained as Joey looked over the scans. "We'll also have to get you a pager so people can find you" she said showing her the pager around her neck. She noticed Parker had one as well. "We can do that later though, when you're done with surgery".

"Ok. Dr. Sheppard cleared his head CT?" she asked Parker, handing his tablet back to him. He nodded.

"Yes ma'am, we're good to go".

"Ok. I'll see you up there". He started to walk off towards the elevator. "Oh and Parker" she called after him. He stopped and turned to see what she wanted. "You don't have to call me ma'am". He nodded.

"Habit" he sighed. She gave an understanding nod as he turned to continue on his way. They started to walk to the lounge but they were stopped again.

"Dr. Rajah" they heard from behind them. They both turned to see Dr. Bailey approaching them. "I was hoping to catch you".

"Chief Bailey" she greeted her politely.

"Kepner" Bailey said acknowledging April.

"Chief".

"So, first day. How's it going so far?"

"Good. Really good" she said happily. "I'm actually gonna be scrubbing in on my first surgery in a bit so…"

"Oh, hitting the ground running" Bailey said pleased with her initiative. "I heard about the ceiling collapse. You got one of the victims?" Joey nodded. "Good. Go. Save lives. Don't screw up".

"Yes ma'am". Joey and April turned to go on their way again.

"You called her ma'am" April pointed out.

"Habit" Joey said repeating Parker's excuse. Finally, they made it to the attending's lounge.

"Hey, guys" April said as she entered the lounge. "This is Dr. Johanna Rajah" she said pointing to the doctor trailing behind her. "She's our new trauma surgery attending and it's her first day".

"Yeah, we've met" Amelia said as she reached into her bag of chips. "Hi again" she said before pushing two chips in her mouth.

"Hi" Joey said with a smile.

"This is Meredith Grey and Alex Karev, our chiefs of general and pediatric surgery" she said pointing to each of them. They exchanged hellos. "And Jackson Avery, chief of plastics and ENT".

"Hey, nice to meet you" he said politely.

"Nice to meet you too".

"Uh, you can put your bag in that closet and the bathroom is right over there" April said pointing things out for her. "When you're ready I can show you up to OR four".

"Ok, thanks". She went over and set her bag down on the floor and pulled out her tennis shoes before shoving the bag onto the closet floor and going into the bathroom to change.

"You were assigned to the new doc, huh?" Jackson asked as he took a seat on the couch.

"Yeah, Teddy's in surgery so she wanted me to show her around" she said with a shrug. "She seems great so far. She jumped right in to help with the ceiling collapse victims. She's scrubbing in on her first surgery in a few minutes".

"Yeah, I cleared her guy's head CT" Amelia said over a mouthful of chips. "Maggie doesn't like her though". Alex scoffed.

"Already?"

"What? Why?" April asked in disbelief. "She seems really nice".

"They had some kind of clash in the trauma room" she said with a shrug. She started to laugh, "Maggie was fuming. You know how she is when she gets going".

"Doctors clash over trauma patients all the time" Alex said. "She'll get over it". Joey emerged from the bathroom in her new scrubs. She put her clothes and shoes in her bag then returned it to the closet.

"Ok. I'm ready" she said walking over to April. "Except" she felt her hair, "I don't have a hair tie".

"Oh, here" April said offering her the one on her wrist. "You can use this one".

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I have extra".

"April was a girl scout" Meredith joked. Everyone laughed.

"Ok, since when is being prepared an insult" she asked defensively.

"I don't think it is" Joey said graciously accepting the hair tie.

"Thank you" April said appreciatively.

"You don't have to suck up to her" Alex said while reading over his patient's charts. "She doesn't have any juice". They all laughed. Just then Maggie walked into the lounge.

"What's so funny?" she asked interestedly. Joey turned and saw the doctor who'd made a rude entrance to the trauma room earlier.

"Oh nothing" April said as the laughter died down. "Alex is just making fun of me, as usual".

"You make it so easy" he quipped.

"Ok, I'll take you up now" April said, hoping to make a quick exit to avoid any conflict now that Maggie was present.

"Oh, I'll tag along" Maggie said inviting herself. "We weren't properly introduced earlier" she said addressing Joey directly. "I'm Maggie Pierce, head of cardiothoracic surgery".

"Hi" Joey said simply. She pulled her hair back and put it into the bun with ease.

"I'll be placing the drain for the pericardial window you did this morning" she said with some disdain in her voice.

"Great" Joey said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Just for future reference, you really should let us cardio surgeons handle the cardio surgery. I mean, my patient now needs…."

"Mine" Joey said interrupting her. "He's _my_ patient" she corrected. Everyone perked up at her correction. Alex looked up from his charts to tune in. "And I handled the cardio surgery just fine". Jackson shifted his position on the couch, as if to brace himself for whatever was about to transpire between the two doctors. "I didn't really need your help" she said honestly.

"Then why'd you page for a cardio consult?"

"Oh, I was told that it's protocol here" she shrugged.

"Well, you opened his chest which really wasn't necessary" Maggie said annoyed.

"How would know what was necessary?" Joey asked. "You weren't even there".

"Well, if you had waited for me I would've been there".

"I did paged you twice. You didn't show. If I'd have waited the patient would be dead" she said unapologetically.

"I'm just saying, I walked into the trauma room and saw you doing cardiac massage on a patient I'd been called to consult on" she said with tensed shoulders. "I'm the cardio surgeon and if something had gone wrong it's on me. I don't know you and…."

"I don't know you either" Joey said interrupting her again. Amelia's eyes widened and Meredith shifted in her chair. They didn't know whether to take offense to her tone with their sister or be impressed with how she was standing her ground despite being new here. "And he was _my_ patient so anything that would've gone wrong would've been on _me_" she said correcting her on another point. "And I resent your assumption that I'm incompetent just because you don't know me".

"You're new here. Just…. some respect for the doctors who work here, particularly for the doctor whose job you were doing, would be nice" she said condescendingly.

"Is that what you had for me? Respect?" she asked rhetorically. "You walked into that trauma room, assumed I didn't belong there and then tried to insert yourself between me and _my_ patient while I was working to save his life" she said recounting the events, making it very clear who was lacking respect. "I didn't do any procedure that wasn't necessary. I did _my_ job. I took care of _my_ patient. And I would have been perfectly happy to leave the cardio surgery to the cardio surgeon had you been there". She was cordial with everyone and always respectful to those who respected her but she wasn't going to be walked over just because she was the new guy. "But you're right about one thing, we weren't properly introduced. I'm the new trauma surgery attending, Johanna Rajah. Joey, if you'd like. I'll see you in the OR". Before Maggie could get another word in, she walked away to head up to the OR. April followed closely behind her.

"Well, that was… really something" Amelia said breaking the awkward silence.

"I like her" Alex said before returning his attention to the charts he was reviewing.

"Did she just say Joey?"


	7. Chapter 7: Arizona's Joey

Chapter 7: Arizona's Joey

"Did she just say "Joey"?" Meredith asked, wondering if she heard her right.

"Yeah, so?" Alex asked disinterested.

"Oh Joey" Amelia said getting on the same train of thought as Meredith.

"Wait a minute" Jackson said catching up to them. He came over and joined them at the table. "You don't think that Joey" he said pointing in the direction of where she'd been standing, "is…"

"Arizona's Joey" Meredith said finishing his sentence. "I mean, it has to be right? What are the odds that Arizona meets a Joey who's a trauma surgeon and then we meet another Joey who's also a trauma surgeon just a few days later?"

"I can't believe it" Amelia said dismayed. "Jo was right". Arizona walked into the lounge and went over to the coffee pot.

"Oh, come on" she groaned. "Who drank the last of the coffee and didn't restart the pot?" she asked looking around.

"Sorry" Jackson said shrinking with guilt. She glared at him and shook her head. "Here you sit down" he said giving up his seat, "and I'll start a fresh pot".

"Why thank you Dr. Avery" she said mockingly. He chuckled and went over to start a new pot of coffee.

"Oh, hey" Alex said looking up from his charts again, "How'd the atresia baby go?" he asked.

"Good, he's in recovery" she said sliding her scrub cap off. "You owe me".

"Yeah, yeah. What's new?" he said dismissively.

"So, have you heard from her?" Amelia asked looking at Arizona. "Did she call or email?"

"No" she said sadly.

"Maybe you should try to look her up" she suggested.

"With what?" she asked doubtfully. "I don't even know her full name".

"But you know her name is Joey and she's a trauma surgeon and in the army" she said listing the facts she knew. "Maybe you can find her just from that".

"Or you can find her in the OR" Alex said under his breath, receiving a swift elbow from Meredith.

"I- I don't think I'm going to try to find her" she said with a shrug. "If she reaches out to me then great but if not, then you know" she raised her shoulders for a moment then let them fall, "it just wasn't meant to be". Jackson came over and set a fresh cup of coffee in front of Arizona. They'd had coffee together enough times that he knew how she liked hers. "Thank you" she said over her shoulder as he took a seat in the chair behind them. Arizona checked her watch. "I gotta go. I have a consult". She got up from the table and took her coffee. "See ya later" she said as she made her exit.

"Maybe we should just tell her" Amelia said wanting to see a happy ending. "I mean she has to be the same person. It's just too big of a coincidence for her not to be".

"Or maybe we should leave it alone" Jackson suggested.

"I'm with that" Alex cosigned.

"You're both such guys" she said with contempt.

"She said she'd find her and, for whatever reason, she didn't only to end up working at the same hospital with her. She doesn't wanna look for Arizona. Arizona doesn't wanna look for her". Amelia gave him a blank stare. "Look, they're both surgeons working in the same hospital. They're gonna run into each other sooner or later. Probably sooner than either of them is ready for. We should just let it happen and not force anything. Now shut up" he said annoyed. "I have to get through reading these charts". He got another jab from Meredith and Amelia threw a chip at him.

"So how about the fireworks between Maggie and the new doc?" Jackson asked with a chuckle. Alex groaned and slammed his folders shut before getting up from the table, grabbing his charts in hand and storming out of the lounge to the sound of Meredith and Amelia laughing. "Something I said?" Jackson joked.

"He has some big case report to write on some of his patients" Meredith said, explaining his frustration with their talking. "He needs to focus".

"Sounds like Maggie was…"

"A jerk" Meredith said interrupting him. They all laughed. "I had a big clash with her on her first day over a patient".

"Yeah but that was different" Amelia said remembering the story.

"Was it?"

"Yeah" she said assuredly, "you didn't disagree with her because you thought she was incompetent to do her job. You were doing what you thought was best for your patient".

"Yeah, that's true" she said with a shrug. "She thought it was because I didn't like her because she wasn't Cristina".

"Was that part of it?" Jackson asked.

"No" she said simply. "I would've said the same thing to anyone, including Cristina. Cristina wouldn't have just taken it though" she said with a chuckle. "She would've barged into my surgery to do the echo bedside".

"Sounds like Yang". They continued chatting amongst themselves. Eventually, Meredith left to go to surgery then Callie came in. Jackson left for a consult then DeLuca came in. Others came and went throughout the afternoon. Joey finished her surgery on Mr. Houser, added her notes to his chart and then checked on him in the ICU. By then, his wife had arrived and was sitting by his bedside. She was worried that he was still intubated but Joey assured her that it was normal for a patient to remain on a ventilator for a while after surgery. Once the anesthesia had worn off, she was confident he'd start to breathe on his own and they'd be able to remove him from the vent. For now, it was important that they let him rest. She told her she would check back in before she left for the day then left her to sit with her husband in private. She decided to go out for lunch to explore the neighborhood near the hospital. When she returned, she ran into April who offered to show her around more of the hospital before they went back to the ER. They hadn't gotten to go to the media room or skills lab before surgery so she took her to those first. She was really impressed with their setup. The military hospitals she'd worked in were great but they weren't as state of the art as Grey Sloan. A media room full of screens to look at multiple imaging scans at the same time would be a big help in creating a more nuanced operating plan. The digital operating table in the skills lab on four was her favorite. She could do any procedure with the digital patient and could practice as many times as she wanted. They left the skills lab and April asked if there was anything in particular in the hospital she wanted to see. The layout of every floor was generally the same. She thought she'd be fine to find her way around if she had a general idea of where everything important was. All of the miscellaneous parts, she was okay to learn over time.

"Well, the patient rooms are on two through five". They stopped at the elevators, joining others who were already waiting. "Internal medicine, dietary, family and dermatology are on two" she said as they got on the elevator. "General admits are on three with Peds, OB/GYN and the nursery. If you ever need a meeting with the chief, her office is on three just past the catwalk. The NICU, CCU, ICU and the burn unit are on four. Oncology, psychiatry, the psych ward and infection disease are on five" she continued as they rode down to one. They got off the elevator on their floor and headed back to the ER. "There's a couple coffee carts outside the different entrances. You can't miss them. I mentioned before the cafeteria and lecture hall are on two. We have a smaller room on two that we use for presentations and press conferences". They reentered the ER to find Teddy and Owen had made it back from their surgeries.

"Hey, you get the grand tour?" Teddy said hoping she'd seen everything she wanted to see. She really wasn't interested in being a tour guide.

"Yes" she said with a nod, "Dr. Kepner's been really helpful".

"Oh, you can call me April" she said casually. "She rocked her first surgery" April bragged for her. She had ended up scrubbing in on Mr. Houser's ex-lap. Joey didn't really need the help but April had nothing else to do so she didn't object to her tagging in.

"Great" Teddy said pleased she was doing well on her first day. She was her first outside hire as chief of trauma and she'd really pulled for her with the chief over the other candidates. She wanted her to do well. "Well, you can jump in and start seeing patients. Just let one of us know if you need anything".

"Ok". They all went their separate ways. She had a full day and saw plenty of patients. She even got in on another trauma but wasn't needed for the surgery. She and April went up to the ICU together to check in on Mr. Houser before they headed back to the attending's lounge. It had been more than long enough for the anesthesia to wear off but he still hadn't woken up and wasn't triggering the vent. She ordered a neuro workup to assess brain function and decided she would stick around until the workup was complete. Amelia looked over his scans and didn't find anything to explain why he hadn't woken up. No clots. No bleeds. Reactive EEG. All they could do now is wait and see. They walked back to the attending's lounge which was full with everyone getting ready to go home for the day. She'd met quite a bit of the surgical staff that day and, with the exception of Dr. Pierce, she got along with everyone.

"Popular" April noted as Joey's phone chimed for the fourth time in just a few minutes. Joey laughed.

"Only tonight" she said putting her phone back in her pocket after checking her messages. "I'm, uh, meeting some guys from my unit at the bar across the street" she said as she put on her jacket. "I haven't had a chance to spend much time with them, you know, since I don't live on post. I thought it'd be a good way to build some camaraderie" she explained. "And if all else fails, at least they'll like me for the free drinks". April laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll appreciate that" she said pulling her own jacket on. "Do you mind if I tag along?" April asked.

"No" Joey shrugged. "I mean if you don't mind sharing space with some rowdy soldiers".

"What about…" she said pointing over her shoulder to the others.

"The more the merrier" she said indifferently. April went over to Amelia, Meredith, Alex and Teddy. Joey grabbed her gym bag from the floor and put it on her shoulder before following her.

"You guys wanna grab a drink with us?" April asked hoping they'd want to come too. "Joey invited the guys from her unit over to Emerald for free drinks".

"Oh, free drinks" Alex perked up. "I'm down". Joey laughed.

"I'm just paying for my guys" she said shaking her head. "You're on your own".

"Lame" he said as he shrugged into his jacket.

"I could use a drink" Amelia said raising her hand. "You coming?" she asked Meredith. "Maggie can go home and be with the kids" she said offering her services.

"Ok" Meredith said a shrug.

"Teddy" Amelia said looking to her for an answer.

"Yeah, let me just make sure Owen is okay to be alone with the kids" she said pulling her phone from her pocket.

"Jackson" April said getting his attention as he came out of the bathroom. "You wanna get a drink with us?"

"Uh…" he hesitated.

"Come on man" Alex said interrupting his thinking process, "Don't leave me alone with all these women".

"Alright" he conceded. "But I can't stay long. My mom is watching Harriet". They started bantering back and forth about how Joey should pay for everyone, not just her army guys. She suggested that they should pay for her seeing as how she was new and they should be making her feel welcome. April was talking but her voice was drowned out by the sound of another voice that was very familiar to her ear.

"If you had told her that she couldn't go then she wouldn't have turned in the permission slip" Arizona said as she approached the attending's lounge.

"Why did you even sign it if we agreed she wasn't going?" Callie asked.

"No, we" she said gesturing between them as they passed over the threshold, "didn't agree. You" she said pointing to her, "didn't want her to go and I said that was fine but that you had to tell her. You didn't tell her so she turned in her permission slip". Amelia nudged Meredith with her elbow and pointed to Joey who was now staring at the beautiful woman she'd spent hours talking to several nights ago. The woman she hadn't planned to see again, at least not so soon.

"She couldn't have turned it in if it wasn't signed Arizona". They stood there staring at Joey who was staring at Arizona. Her reaction confirmed it for them. She was definitely Arizona's Joey.

"I signed it because I wanted her to have it in case you came to your senses. If you would've told her over the weekend that she wasn't going, she wouldn't have handed it in" she said as she angrily took off her lab coat. "Don't blame me because you couldn't follow through and by the way, you're still being your father" she joked. They'd all stopped talking to watch Joey watch Callie and Arizona go back and forth about Sofia's camping trip.

"Would you stop saying that?" she asked annoyed. "I am not being my father. My concerns are perfectly reasonable" she said defensively. Arizona laughed.

"That they'll sneak off? Callie, they're eleven. And it's not some lax summer camp. It's a supervised school trip".

"Arizona, Callie" April said interrupting their argument, "we're going to the bar for a drink. You wanna come?".

"No, I ca…" Arizona stopped abruptly when she locked eyes with Joey for the first time since the night they met. "Hi" she said softly.

"H…" Joey cleared her throat, "Hi" she said softly. The smile that made her stomach do back flips appeared on Arizona's face.

"What, uh, what are you doing here?" She was genuinely shocked to see her there. She wondered if she'd come to find her like she said she would.

"I, uh, I-I" she stammered and let out a nervous laugh. "I work here…. now". Arizona's eyes widened.

"You… oh" she said in disbelief. "This is the job?"

"This is the job" Joey nodded.

"Wow" Arizona said excitedly. "That's great. Congratulations". Joey couldn't help but laugh and smile. Her perkiness was still so far from Joey's usual type but her smile was contagious.

"Thank you" she said reeling in the smile on her face. "So, you, uh, you own... this hospital?" she asked nervously. Arizona nodded.

"Well, just partly, you know" she corrected. "I'm just one of the owners".

"You didn't mention it was... it was _this_ hospital".

"You didn't mention this was your number one choice" she countered. Joey chuckled and nodded.

"That's true" she said scratching her head. "I guess I didn't". Her phone chimed again. She took it out of her pocket and checked the message. She was late for drinks with her guys. "I have to go" she said with a twinge of regret. Though it was a surprise to see her again, it was welcomed and unexpectedly refreshing after a long day. "So I guess I'll…. see you at the bar?".

"No" she said shaking her head. "I can't. I'm with Sofia tonight".

"Oh, ok" Joey said with an understanding nod.

"Sofia is m…"

"Your daughter" she said finishing her sentence. "I remember". Everyone watched them intently. Their exchange was awkward but not painful. There was a sweet nervousness between them. Teddy leaned over to Amelia.

"Is that the same..." she asked quietly. Before she could finish the question, Amelia answered.

"Mmmhmm" she mumbled softly.

"Ohhh" Teddy was making the same deduction that Amelia and Meredith had made this morning. It made sense to her now. Arizona had told them that she was a trauma surgeon in the army who had done her residency in Hawaii. She'd seen her resume from when she was reviewing candidates for the attending job. She couldn't believe she hadn't put it together before. April and Callie were the only two left in the room who didn't have any clue of what was going on. The gossip chain had surprisingly not updated them on the Joey/Arizona situation.

"Well, um, another time then". Arizona nodded. She stepped past her to leave.

"What's your name?" she asked abruptly. Joey turned and looked at her with a raised brow. "Joey, I know but…. what's your name?"

"Johanna" she said simply. "Johanna Rajah".

"Arizona Robbins" she said pointing to herself. "I guess you don't have to find me now".

"I guess not" she said breaking eye contact with her. "I have to… I have people waiting. I'll see you sometime". She didn't wait for Arizona to say anything else. She turned and left the lounge to head over to the bar.

"Who was that?" Callie asked pointing over her shoulder at Joey. "Arizona" she said snapping her out of her reverie.

"Huh?" She was staring after Joey even though she was out of sight. "Yeah?" she said looking at Callie.

"Who was that?" she asked again.

"She's, ummm…. she- she's Joey" she stuttered. "She works here. I have to go" she said going over to the closet to hang up her lab coat. She grabbed her bag and quickly disappeared into the bathroom to change.

"So we heading over or…" April asked interrupting the awkward silence.

"Yeah, I'm ready" Amelia said pulling on her jacket.

"Totally" Alex said heading for the door. The others followed leaving Callie there dumbfounded.

"What the hell did I miss?"


	8. Chapter 8: Drink on It

Chapter 8: Drink on It

"What the hell did I miss?" Callie asked under her breath. Arizona came out of the bathroom in jeans and blue top. She put her used scrubs in the bin and went over to the closet to get her jacket and her purse. "Arizona" Callie said walking over to her, "who was that?" she asked again clearly unsatisfied with the answer she'd given before she went in the bathroom.

"I told you" she said taking her jacket off one of the hangers, "she's Joey". She put her jacket on and picked her bag up from the floor where she'd set it at her feet and slung it over her shoulder.

"Yeah, you said that. How do you know her? How does she know Sofia?" She really didn't want to get into it with her about yet another thing.

"I met her a few nights ago" she answered honestly. "She was at the bar. We played trivia together. And she doesn't know Sofia. She just knows about her". She tried to keep her explanation as simple as possible. It always happened when one of them starting seeing another person. It was natural, she guessed, to have some jealousy when your ex starts to move on. It happened to her when Callie was the first to move on after their first split. Now, it seemed, the shoe was on the other foot. In other cases, it wasn't so bad because once the relationship was over the person was out of your life. In their case, it was harder because, not only did they have a child together, they worked together every day. So, either way, they couldn't have a clean break from one another. "I have to go" she said taking her purse down from the shelf and slinging it over her shoulder. "Sofia's waiting". She went around Callie and headed out of the lounge. Callie huffed out a frustrated sigh. She turned and followed behind her, walking quickly to catch up.

"Are you sleeping with her?"

"God, Callie" she groaned.

"Well, are you?" she asked still following her. They came to a stop in front of the elevator and Arizona pushed the button to go down. "Arizona" Callie whined impatiently.

"Callie" she said whipping around to face her, "when we got divorced…. the first time" she clarified, "you told me that it wasn't my business who you see and now it's my turn to tell you. It's really not your business if I slept with her or not". Callie scoffed.

"Great" she said with an eye roll. "Great. I have to work with another one of your bedmates".

"Like I haven't worked and lived with enough of yours?" Arizona shot back. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Callie sighed.

"Ok, loo... I don't wanna argue" she said apologetically.

"Neither do I, Callie" she said as she got on the elevator. "Good night". The elevator doors closed, leaving her standing there alone. She went back to the attending's lounge to change her clothes then headed over to the bar.

She walked in and looked around for her coworkers and friends who had left before her. She saw them in the back of the bar. They seemed to be having a good time, drinking and laughing together. Unwinding from a long, stressful day. They had pulled a few tables together to seat everyone. There were quite a few unfamiliar faces at the far side of the table; a group of boisterous men and a few women, including her new coworker. There was no denying that she was a looker. She could see why she caught Arizona's eye.

"Callie" she heard her name called from the back of the bar. She looked and saw Meredith waving at her. She took one last lingering look at Joey then headed to the back of the bar to join them.

"Hey" she said as she approached their table.

"Heeyyy" a slightly inebriated Meredith said. "Pull up a chair. Catch up with me" she said pushing a shot of tequila towards her. Callie pulled a chair over from an empty table and before she sat down, she picked up the shot and tossed it back. She returned the glass to the table then shrugged out of her jacket and took a seat between Meredith and Jackson. "You're staring" Meredith said, her voice only slightly lowered. She drew the attention of the coworkers seated closest to their end of the table.

"What?" Callie said with an awkward laugh. "No, no I'm not" she lied. She grabbed an empty glass and poured herself a beer from the pitcher in the middle of the table.

"You are" Meredith pestered. "You're staring. You're staring at the hot, hot, new trauma surgeon" she teased.

"Wai- You think she's hot?"

"You don't?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. She looked down the table at the doctor who was apparently newly involved with her ex-wife.

"N-no" she shook her head. "I mean she's pretty" she said changing her answer. "You know, she's nice looking. She's…. you really think she's hot?"

"She's totally hot" Jackson said obviously.

"Definitely" Alex agreed. Everyone looked at him curiously. "What?" he asked with a shrug. "I'm married. I'm not dead" he said before taking the swallow of his beer and refilling his glass. "You just don't wanna think she's hot because you know Arizona wants to get in her pants". He received a swift smack on the shoulder.

"Alex" Meredith chastised. "But he's right" she said turning back to Callie.

"He's not right" she said defensively. She took another drink from her glass as she took another look at the beautiful woman socializing with a bunch of clean shaven, broad shouldered men at the other end of the table. "Maybe he's a little right" she said under her breath. Then it dawned on her. He said she wanted to get in her pants as in she hadn't yet. "Wait, so they haven't slept together?" she asked hopefully.

"Not yet" Alex quipped. Meredith giggled.

"Ok, so how do they know each other?" April asked, needing to be filled in on the story. She'd been volunteering the previous week and hadn't been able to talk to Arizona about her new love interest.

"They met at bar" Teddy started to explain. "They talked. They made plans to see each other again". They didn't have to try hard to keep their voices down. They were pretty sure their companions at the other end of the table couldn't hear them over how loud they all were.

"Somehow I don't think either of them bet on work being the place they'd see other again" Amelia said leaning forward to get into the conversation. "Did you see the look on Joey's face when Arizona walked in?".

"Yeah" Jackson interjected, "she definitely wasn't expecting that".

"Stop staring" Meredith said kicking Callie's chair.

"I…urgh" she groaned. They continued chatting among themselves then after a couple minutes, Joey, along with a few of the guys she was drinking with, went over and started to play darts.

"You're not thinking about going for her, are you?" Amelia inquired. "Arizona really likes her".

"I am not going to go for her" she said categorically.

"She's going for Arizona" Meredith said slyly, leaning back in her chair. She looked at Callie through squinted eyes. "You" she said with a swift finger point towards her, "are going after Arizona" she accused.

"I am not" Callie said defensively. As she finished her beer, she peered over the rim of her glass at all the accusing eyes directed at her. She slammed her now empty glass down on the table. "Oh alright, fine" she caved. "Maybe… I'm considering it". They all groaned. "I mean, we… we've talked about it, you know? Trying again".

"Callie, we've talked about this" Meredith said in a slightly whining tone. "It's been over a year. It's time for you to move on" she said with a pacifying pat on her hand.

"For both of you" Alex added. Just as he finished his sentence, the door to the bar opened and Arizona walked in. She let her hood down and lightly shook off water on her jacket. It was raining now. She immediately spotted her friends in front of her towards the back of the bar. Then further behind them, Joey. She took a drink from a glass before stepping up in front of her companions and throwing darts at the board on the wall.

"Arizona" Meredith yelled, giving another wave to another friend who'd just entered the bar. This announcement got Joey's attention. She looked over. They locked eyes. Time stood still.

They could tell that she was staring past them. They turned to see that Joey was staring back at her. Feeling eyes on her, she broke eye contact with Arizona and looked over to see the table of her new coworkers looking at her. She shook off the awkward moment and went back to her game of darts. Arizona walked over to their table, pulled a chair over and sat between Alex and April. Alex grabbed her a glass and poured her beer as she took off her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair. She thanked him as she accepted the glass and took a drink.

"What are you doing here?" Callie asked disparagingly.

"I was invited" she said displeased with the attitude she was receiving.

"Where's Sofia?"

"Ugh" she sighed, "she begged me to go to the sleepover at Kailyn's. I gave in". Callie scoffed.

"She has school tomorrow".

"Yeah, I know that Callie" Arizona said obviously.

"Yeah, that's my cue" Jackson said before finishing his beer. He wasn't interested in another dose of Callie and Arizona's sparring. "I gotta go get Harriet. Although I'm sure my mom would be happy to keep her, I told her I'd be there by nine". He got up and put on his jacket. "See ya tomorrow". They all said their goodbyes as he made his exit. April leaned over to Arizona.

"So Joey, huh?" she whispered in her ear. A guilty smile came over her face. "Yeah, I'm gonna need details later". Arizona laughed and nodded silently.

"I can't believe you let her go out on a school night" Callie said shaking her head.

"Her homework was done and she has everything she'll need for school tomorrow" Arizona said not understanding the big deal.

"So, Maggie didn't have any problems going home to watch the kids?" Teddy asked Meredith. She wanted to move the conversation along before they could start bickering back and forth. They were all tired of the constant co-parenting drama between the two. Arizona thought Callie was too strict. Callie didn't think Arizona was strict enough. Around and around they went.

"No" she shook her head, "she loves staying with the kids. She bakes…. even when they don't ask her to" she said with amazement even though she'd been doing it for years now. "She loves Auntie Maggie time".

"That and she didn't want to be in the bar with…." Amelia pointed over her shoulder in Joey's direction.

"Oh god" Teddy said laughing, "yeah I heard about that. They had some kind of run in over a patient, right?" Arizona looked confused. She hadn't heard the story of Maggie and Joey duking it out over a heart procedure.

"Maggie was not happy" Amelia said bringing her glass to her lips.

"What happened?" Arizona asked interestedly.

"Your girlfriend didn't tell you" Callie said under her breath but still loud enough for everyone to hear her. Meredith kicked her chair again, only this time she missed the chair. "Ow" she said rubbing her leg. Arizona rolled her eyes.

"Wait, you're Major Rajah's girlfriend?" they heard from a seat further down the table. One of the soldiers who was a guest to Joey hadn't joined in on the game of darts and was nursing a beer in his seat. They hadn't even noticed he was there. Teddy and April laughed at his random interjection.

"Uh, no" Arizona answered with a stifled laugh.

"Umm…" April stifled her laughter, "there was a patient this morning with chest injuries from a slab of ceiling falling on him during a ceiling collapse. He had a pericardial effusion that progressed to a tamponade because of clotting" April said relating the story as she'd heard it from Joey. "So, Joey opened his chest and did a pericardial window to remove the clot and get his heart back".

"How's the patient?" Teddy asked.

"He's…. fine" April said hesitantly.

"Weeellll" Amelia said through clenched teeth.

"Ok" April shrugged, "He hasn't woken up yet but there's nothing to indicate that he won't".

"So did she screw up or what?" Callie asked. Meredith glared at her. "What? If she didn't screw up why would Maggie be mad?"

"Beca- because she didn't know who Joey was and she didn't like that she was doing a cardio procedure instead of a cardiothoracic surgeon".

"Well I get that" Callie said with a shrug. They all gave her a side eye. "What?" she said again. "We've all done it. We all get territorial about our patients. I wouldn't want some random doctor off the street doing an ortho procedure on one of my patients".

"She isn't a random doctor off the street and he wasn't Maggie's patient" Meredith corrected her. "Maggie shouldn't have walked in assuming that she didn't belong there. She did the same thing to Nathan when Bailey hired him. She was out of line then and she's out of line now.". Even though Maggie was her sister, Meredith couldn't deny that she was in the wrong in this situation. "If I had my hands in a patient's chest and another doctor came in and tried to force me out of the way, I'd be pissed" she admitted. "And so would you" she pointed to Callie.

"I'm just saying, she should've paged cardio".

"She paged her twice" Alex said defending her. "Maggie took too long. We all do procedures outside of our specialties when we have to. I'm with Meredith. Maggie was out of line, plain and simple" he said clearly stating his opinion.

"Well, she doesn't think so" April said with a chuckle. "She went on and on during surgery about how she should've just kept the patient stable until she arrived to do her job".

"So the guy is crashing and she expects her to let him go south until cardio decides to show up" Alex asked in disbelief.

"I- I" April shrugged.

"She's out of her mind" he said shaking his head. "I get being territorial about your job and your patients. I've done it. We all have" he said reiterating Callie's earlier point, "but she takes it too far".

"Wai- ok" Teddy said speaking up again, "but the patient is okay?" she asked again to be sure. She wasn't too interested in who was at fault as long as the patient didn't suffer because of their dispute.

"The patient is fine" April repeated. "The surgery couldn't have gone better. Maggie placed the drain for his heart and I assisted Joey on the liver lacs. He's stable in recovery". She gave a rundown of his post-operative stats and scans. "He just hasn't woken up yet".

"His neuro exam was clear so" Amelia said shrug, "we'll just have to wait and see".

"Aye, sixty second" they heard yelled across the bar. A buff guy with a crew cut was standing near the door, pulling on his jacket. "Our cars are here" he announced. A series of groans were heard throughout the bar as they all started to get up from their chairs or leave their darts game. They finished their drinks as they got ready to leave. Joey followed them out of the bar and said her goodbyes, instructing them to shoot her texts when they made it back to post safely. They loaded up the cars and she watched as they pulled away. Once they were out of sight she headed back inside. She went up to the bar to settle the tab for all the drinks they'd had.

"Joey" she heard from behind. She turned to see Amelia waving her over to their table. She shoved her card in her pocket, signed the credit card receipt and went over to join them. The tables and chairs they'd moved over to accommodate everyone had been moved back to their proper places so there wasn't an open seat for her.

"Here" April said getting up from the table. "You can have my seat" she said offering her chair which was conveniently next to Arizona.

"Oh, you don't have to…." she said starting to decline the seat.

"It's fine, really" she said as she put on her jacket. "I should be heading home".

"Thanks for your help today in the OR" Joey said as she passed her to leave.

"Not that you needed it".

"I did n-need it" she said unconvincingly. April looked over her shoulder, obviously not convinced. "Ok, maybe I didn't" she admitted. "But the tour was… very helpful so…" she said with honesty this time. "thanks for that". April laughed and nodded.

"You're welcome. And I'll add Mr. Houser to my prayers tonight". Joey could tell that she was being genuine. There was no doubt in her mind that she really would pray for him.

"Thank you" she said appreciatively. "That's really kind". April gave a silent nod.

"Good night guys" she said with a wave. Everyone said goodbye as she made her way out the door.

"You gonna sit down?" Teddy asked looking up at her.

"Oh" she said as if she'd forgotten she was still standing. "Yeah". She went over and hesitantly took the vacant seat next to Arizona.

"Have a beer" Alex said pushing an empty glass and the pitcher of beer towards. "On us. Welcome to Grey Sloan". She chuckled.

"Thank you" she said sarcastically as she poured herself a beer. Her leg lightly brushed against Arizona's. They pretended they didn't feel it.

"So how does it feel to be stateside again?" Teddy asked. She cracked open a peanut and popped it in her mouth as she waited for her to answer. Joey sighed heavily.

"Great" she finally said. "I'm close to my parents again and my sister".

"I have sisters" Amelia interjected. "Three of them. Hate them all" she quipped.

"Oh" Joey said with a cringe. "I'm sorry".

"You have brothers too right?" Teddy asked. Joey nodded.

"Four".

"And they're all military too?" Meredith asked. She nodded again. "Are they here in the states or overseas?"

"Um, my oldest brother is stationed in Texas, second oldest is in Japan, third in Korea and my younger brother is in Georgia" she said giving the rundown of where everyone was.

"And you love them all?" Amelia asked in disbelief. Joey chuckled again and nodded.

"Yes, very much" she said genuinely.

"Well, Meredith's the only sister I love" she said with a shrug. "Oh and Maggie" she added.

"You two are sisters?" she asked curiously.

"In laws" she clarified. "She married my only brother. He died".

"Oh" she said surprised by how nonchalantly she'd added that last detail. "I'm so sorry". They both had solemn looks on their faces as they remembered their lost loved one. "And you said Maggie…" she said attempting to change the subject, "as in Dr. Pierce, she's your sister too".

"Well, technically no. She's Meredith's half-sister. We're not actually related but she's still family. We call each other sisters" she explained.

"Don't worry about what happened today with your patient" Meredith said waving it off. "She'll get over it".

"Have you ever been married?" Callie asked out of nowhere. She'd taken two shots with Meredith and was on her third beer. Her filter was on its last leg. "Do you…. have any kids?" she asked curiously. "Oh, I'm Callie by the way" she said remembering that they hadn't actually met. "Callie Torres, chief of ortho".

"Joey" she said after clearing her throat. "Joey Rajah". She took a quick glance at Arizona who was looking down at her lap as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The last thing she wanted was for Callie to start interrogating her. "No, I- I've never been married. No kids either" she said answering her questions.

"So, you're single?" she asked trying to suss out where she stood with Arizona.

"Callie" Arizona said in a chastising tone.

"What?" she played dumb. "We're asking questions. We're getting to know her, right?"

"It's fine" Joey said, not put off by Callie's questions. "I'm not seeing anyone yet" she said as she brought her glass to her lips. Alex leaned over to Arizona.

"I like her" he said attempting, but failing to achieve, a whisper in his inebriated state. Meredith laughed at him for being unable to whisper. They bantered for a bit longer before Joey decided she would call it a night. She finished her beer then got up from her chair.

"I'm gonna head home" she said, adjusting her jacket. "Thanks for the drink. See you guys tomorrow". They said their goodbyes as she headed for the door. Alex tapped Arizona's leg and gestured for her to leave with her.

"Go" he said with a light push. She rolled her eyes but got up from her chair, grabbing her jacket and pulling it on.

"Hey wait" she called after her. For a moment, Joey contemplated pretending like she didn't hear her. It was a busy bar. It wouldn't be hard to believe that it didn't register. But even as she considered it, her feet stopped moving her forward.

"Shocker" Callie said snidely as Arizona moved past her. On one hand, she was jealous at the prospect of Arizona moving on with someone else. They had talked about giving it one more try. They wanted their family to work out for them and for Sophia. Still, they hadn't taken any real steps to get back together and, as Meredith said, it had been over a year. So, on the other hand, maybe it wasn't really jealousy. Maybe it was just a reluctance to, once and for all, let it go. Arizona stopped and leaned down, putting her mouth to her ear.

"Stop it, Calliope" she said softly. Callie's stomach flipped when her name rolled off Arizona's lips. "Please" she added. Callie sighed and silently nodded. Arizona went to catch up to Joey and they walked out of the bar together. "I'm sorry" she said once they were outside alone. "About Callie" she said clarifying the apology.

"Oh" Joey shrugged, "it's fine. No need to apologize" she said waving it off. "She seems funny".

"She's… very funny" she admitted.

"So, what happened?"

"What do you mean?" Arizona asked confused.

"You said you couldn't come; that you had Sofia tonight" she clarified.

"Oh, yeah" Arizona chuckled. "Sofia ditched me for her best friend's sleepover. She begged and begged and I just couldn't say no".

"Wow" Joey said surprised. "On a school night?". Arizona sighed.

"Have you been talking to Callie behind my back?" Joey laughed.

"No" she shook her head. "It wasn't a criticism by the way. I think it's cool" she confessed. "My parents never let us sleepover friend's homes on school nights. Homework and chores could be done and the answer would still be a resounding no". Arizona nodded in understanding.

"My parents were the same way" she admitted. "I'm trying to be different with Sofia than they were with me and my brother".

"And Callie's not?"

"No" she said with a laugh. "Sofia is definitely home on school nights with her".

"So, you trade weeks or…"

"Um, we split the week actually. It's three and two and we trade weekends". Joey looked at her with confusion. "I get her three days of the week. Callie gets her the other two days. Then the next week, Callie gets three days and I get two" she explained. "And we each get every other weekend".

"I see" she expressed her understanding. "So you have her Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week?" Arizona nodded.

"Callie gets her Thursday and Friday then I get her back for the weekend. And next week, it's the opposite. And we accommodate each other for any switches we need to make".

"So, you not having her on Thursday when we met was…"

"Was a switch we made" she confirmed. "I took one of Callie's days earlier in the week because she had a surgery that went…. a lot longer than expected. So, she took one of my days".

"Sounds like a solid arrangement".

"It is. It's been working well for us". They made it back to the hospital parking lot. "This is me" Arizona said pointing out her car. "Can I ask you something?" Joey hesitantly nodded. She hoped she wasn't about to ask her on a date. "Were you really going to find me?" She thought for a moment before answering.

"I don't know" she answered honestly. "I really wanted to but…. I don't know if I would have".

"Why? Why wouldn't you?" Joey sighed.

"I just…" she paused as she ran her hands through her hair. "I'm not…" she wasn't exactly sure what to say. "It's complicated" she said settling on the answer that wasn't really an answer. It didn't really explain anything but she thought Arizona would accept it.

"Ok" Arizona said unsatisfied. Although she wanted to know what was so complicated, she wasn't going to question her further. "Well, good night".

"Good night Arizona". She opened her car door, same as she had on the night they met. She waited until she was inside then shut the door for her. With one final wave, she turned and headed to her own car to go home. When she walked through her apartment door, she received several texts from her guys telling her they'd made it back to post. She acknowledged their messages then undressed and went to shower. As the hot water washed off her day, she contemplated what she would do now that she worked with the woman she had planned to avoid. They were two surgeons working in one hospital. There was no way she wouldn't be seeing her often. She knew the "it's complicated" line wouldn't work for long. Eventually Arizona would want a real explanation. The more she saw her, the more she would want to keep seeing her and, ultimately, be with her. It was just a matter of time before they would become the very thing she was trying to avoid; a couple. She might as well start preparing herself now.


	9. Chapter 9: All Apologies

Chapter 9: All Apologies

The next morning, Joey's alarm went off at five forty-five. After some thought, she decided to jog in to work. She brushed her teeth, got dressed, packed her assault pack then made the ten and a quarter mile jog to the hospital. She walked through the doors ten minutes after seven. On her way to the attending's lounge, she picked up a fresh pair of scrubs. When she walked in the lounge, it was alive with chatter from the doctors who'd beat her in. She said hello as she hurried towards the bathroom. She had only thirty minutes to get cleaned up if she wanted to get coffee and breakfast before her shift.

"Did you run here?" Amelia asked intrigued by her sweaty appearance. Joey stopped just short of the bathroom door.

"Yeah".

"How far do you live?"

"Not far" she shrugged. "Like ten miles".

"Oh, is that all?" she asked amused by how casually she said the distance, as if it were just a short stroll. Joey nodded then headed into the bathroom to shower and get dressed. "Ten miles?"

"She's used to it" Owen said with a shrug. "Active duty soldiers do PT every morning. Some training missions they hike twice that with fifty, sixty pounds of gear on their backs" he explained. "A ten-mile jog would be a cake walk for her".

"I'd die just having to walk that far". Arizona and Callie walked into the lounge together.

"I talked to her this morning" Arizona said as she took off her jacket. "She was finishing breakfast and they were getting ready to leave for school. She was fine".

"I'm gonna call her. Maybe I can catch her before her class starts" Callie said pulling her phone from her pocket. "Just to make sure she made it".

"Suit yourself". Arizona was telling Callie she worried too much more and more often. That used to be her problem, always looking for disaster around every corner. Now, that Sofia was getting older it was Callie who was always preparing for the worst. She joked that she remembered what she was like as a teenager. If any of that was in Sofia, she should worry more. Having an overbearing, overprotective father, Callie looked for freedom wherever she could. Arizona couldn't relate. Being a military kid, Arizona was a goody two shoes growing up. She nor her brother ever got into any real trouble. Their parents were strict and there were a lot of things she felt like she missed out on which is why she wanted to be more relaxed with Sofia. She wanted her to enjoy her childhood.

"Hey, Robbins" Alex called to her from his seat at the table, pulling her from her thoughts. She took her lab coat from its hanger and put it on as she walked over to him. "You have some free time today?"

"Yeah. After lunch I don't have surgery until two thirty. What's up?"

"Can you go over my report?" he said holding up his paper. "It has to be perfect if I'm gonna have a chance at getting this grant". She took the paper from his hands.

"I will read it later".

"Make notes on it, whatever you need to do" he said getting up from the table. "Don't hold back".

"Oh trust me, I won't" she assured him. He took his coffee from the table then headed out to round on his patients. Joey emerged from the bathroom and went over to the closet, setting her bag in the bottom on the floor.

"Morning" Callie said from her seat on the couch.

"Hi" she said nicely. "Morning". She quickly braided her wet hair to the back and secured the end with a rubber band.

"Oh there you are" April said approaching Joey. "I have a lap chole this morning and I was wondering if you'd take it for me".

"Umm, yeah sure" she shrugged. "Now?"

"Eight thirty. Helm will be assisting you" she said pulling up the chart on the tablet in her hands. "You met her, right?" Joey nodded. "Here's his chart" she handed the tablet to Joey. "You can keep that for the rest of your shift. Just make sure you return it to the charging port at the nurses' station when you're done. Also here's your pager" she said pulling it from her pocket and handing it to her. "That's yours to keep".

"Thanks". She put the pager in her pocket then continued reviewing the patient's chart.

"You'll be in OR three and I'll be covering the pit if you need anything"

"The pit?"

"The ER" she clarified. "We call it the pit".

"Why?" she asked confused. April thought about it for a moment.

"I honestly don't know" she admitted. "Anyway, Teddy had something for her kids so she's running late and she asked me to cover for her".

"Why didn't she ask me?" Owen asked over his shoulder.

"I don't know" April shrugged. "But you're ok to do the lap chole with Helm?"

"Yeah, I got it".

"Great. Thank you" April said gratefully as she turned to leave.

"No problem". Joey checked her watch. It was almost eight o'clock. She went into her bag and pulled out the apple, granola bars and water bottle she packed. She went over and sat in the empty chair to eat her breakfast and review the patient's chart before surgery. She could feel Callie looking at her but she kept her eyes on her tablet. She heard Arizona's voice at the table behind her talking to Owen and Amelia. She ignored that too and tried to focus. She finished her apple and granola bars then spent another few minutes going over the chart. Deliberately ignoring Arizona's presence, she got up, put her water bottle in the frig then headed out to surgery.

"What's that about?" Amelia asked interested.

"What?"

"She didn't speak to you at all" she stated what they'd all noticed. "What happened when you left the bar last night?"

"Nothing" she shrugged. "We walked back to our cars together".

"So why isn't she talking to you?" Owen asked. Teddy had told him all about Arizona and Joey so it was surprising to him as well when Joey didn't speak to her.

"It's complicated" she said using Joey's line. "I have to go". She took her coffee and Alex's report and went to round on her patients. Joey had a successful surgery and updated the patient's chart before heading down to the ER. Teddy hadn't arrived yet so they were still short a body and there were several patients waiting for surgical consults. She jumped right in where April needed her. She jumped on one trauma of the two that came in. Her patient needed an ortho consult and Callie responded to the page. They had an interesting exchange with the patient who'd broken his leg. He'd fallen out of a tree while attempting to trim the branches. Callie was sassy and unfiltered. She had a great sense of humor. Joey enjoyed working with her. The patient was cleared of needing any surgical intervention. After his leg was set and casted, he'd be able to go on his way. With her part done, Joey excused herself and went to lunch. She got a sandwich and fruit then went back to the attending's lounge to eat, thinking it would be relatively empty. She walked in and stopped in her tracks. It seemed everyone had decided to eat there instead of the cafeteria. She contemplated turning around and leaving but that would've made her standing there like a deer in headlights even more awkward than it already was. She walked in and went over to the frig, retrieving her water bottle, then went to sit on the couch. A moment after she sat down, Callie walked in.

"I'm definitely gonna need a drink tonight" she said as she pulled off her lab coat. She hung it over the back of the chair Jackson was sitting in on her way to the frig. She retrieved a container of fruit then went over and took a seat next to Joey on the couch. "That tree guy was nuts". Joey laughed. "What happened to you?" she asked looking to Joey. "You just disappeared".

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. It just, it seemed like you had it under control on your own".

"Really? Is that what it seemed like?" Callie asked sarcastically. Joey stifled her laughter as she took a bite of her sandwich. Arizona glanced up from reading Alex's paper to see Callie and Joey laughing together. She tried not to let it bother her but she apparently wasn't hiding it well.

"Are you gonna say something to her?" Amelia asked in a hushed tone. Arizona shook her head.

"Arizona, what is going on?" Meredith asked confused. "She doesn't acknowledge you this morning and now she's still ignoring you but she's talking to Callie?".

"I- I" she let out a huff of air and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know".

"Would you two let her focus, please?" Alex said annoyed with them interrupting her concentration.

"I don't think we're the ones breaking her concentration" Meredith said looking across the room. He turned around to see Joey and Callie sitting on the couch together.

"Oh" he said taking in the scene. "That's…. interesting. So, are you gonna ask her what's so complicated?" he asked turning back to Arizona.

"Do you want me to read this or not?"

"We'll shut up" he quickly replied.

"Thank you". Callie walked out of the lounge and Maggie walked in past her. There was no empty seat at the table. Jackson was sitting in the single chair reading a medical journal. The only free space to sit was the couch next to Joey or somewhere on the floor. Meredith, Amelia and Alex watched her as she contemplated what to do. She decided to go over to the couch and sit down. She pulled back the foil top on her yogurt and stirred it with her spoon.

"I'm sorry" she said abruptly. Everyone's eyes fell on her.

"You're talking to me?" Joey asked seeing that she was looking at her.

"Yes" she nodded, "I'm sorry for my behavior yesterday with my…" she paused, "with _your_ patient" she corrected herself. "You were right. I wasn't respectful. I was rude and presumptuous and I'm sorry".

"Thanks" Joey said simply. Maggie hadn't been expecting for it to go that easily.

"So, we're good?" she asked.

"Yeah" Joey nodded. "We're good".

"Good" Maggie said surprised. She'd expected to have to work harder for her apology to be accepted. "Great" she said with more enthusiasm. Joey winced at her bright, upbeat tone of voice. "So, we can start over? Be friends?" Joey nodded with a strained smile on her face.

"Fr- yeah. Frien- sure" she stammered.

"No, you don't mean that. You're just trying to be nice" Maggie said seeing how forced her smile was.

"No, I'm… not. I'm- I" she continued to stammer, "we can be friends. It just… seems like you're very…. cheerful and upbeat". Maggie nodded.

"Yeah" Maggie nodded. "I mean, a part from my bitchy moments I'm a mostly happy, optimistic person. Aren't you?"

"Not generally, no" she answered without hesitation.

"Really?" she asked surprised. "You have to be optimistic sometimes. I mean, like with you and Arizona; that took optimism" she said looking back and forth between her and Arizona.

"What do you mean with me and Arizona?" she asked confused.

"Well, you know, with the whole…"

"Maggie" Amelia said from her seat at the table. She shook her head and gestured for her to stop talking. Arizona looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. Joey continued to look confused. Obviously some conversations had been going on behind her back. Her pager went off in her pocket. She retrieved it and looked at the message.

"Alan Houser's awake" she said before getting up from the couch and returning her pager to her pocket. She cleaned up her trash from lunch then hurried off to see her patient, leaving again without acknowledging Arizona.

"Could your mouth be any bigger?" Amelia asked pointedly at Maggie. Meredith laughed.

"I didn't know it was a secret".

"Like that would make a difference" Meredith teased. Joey met up with April and Parker visiting with Mr. Houser and his family. His labs looked good. His post-op scans were clear and he showed no signs of any neuro deficits. His wife and children were very happy. So was Joey. He was her first patient at her first civilian job. Getting a good outcome felt like a good omen for the rest of her time here. She finished the rest of her day then went back to the attending's lounge. She chatted with Alex and Meredith, who were also getting ready to leave for the day then went into the bathroom to change. She came out in the jeans and Rolling Stones t shirt she'd packed that morning. After tossing her used scrubs into the laundry bin, she went to the closet to get her things. She put her jacket on then put her bag on her shoulder. When she turned to leave, Arizona was standing there.

"Whoa" she said stopping short of running into her. "Sorry".

"Oh, it's fine" she replied waving off the near collision. "So your, uh, your patient regained consciousness?" she asked with a big smile.

"Yeah" Joey nodded. "Yeah, he did. He's doing really well".

"That's great" she said happily. "Congratulations".

"Thank you".

"I was wondering if we could get together and talk" she said hopeful that she'd get the response she wanted. Meredith and Alex pretended to small talk across the room but they were really eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Umm… I thought you had Sofia tonight?"

"Yeah, I do" she confirmed, "I- I didn't mean tonight. Umm… maybe Friday?"

"Oh, I- I'm sorry. I can't do Friday" she said regretfully. "I already have plans".

"Oh" she said, obviously disappointed.

"But I… I'm sure we'll… find a good time for both of us".

"O- so, you _would_ want to get together sometime?" she asked. She thought maybe Joey was letting her down easy saying they'd find a good time without really intending to find a good time, similar to saying she'd find her when she wasn't really sure she would.

"Yeah" she said surely. "I would like that".

"Okay". Arizona's smile returned full force. She took a card from her pocket, wrote something on the back and held it out to Joey. "Here's my card. I just put my cell number on the back". Joey took the card from her. "Call me".

"Ok" she said simply before putting the card in her pocket. "I'm gonna… I have to get home. I have some furniture being delivered. Good night Arizona".

"Good night" she said as she stepped out of her way. Joey made her way out the lounge, saying goodbye to Alex and Meredith as she left. "Do you think she'll call?" she asked looking over to her friends that she had no doubt had been listening.

"Yeah" Meredith said confidently.

"Probably not" Alex said simultaneously. They looked at each other then back at Arizona.

"Maybe" Meredith said with a shrug.

"You never know" Alex said also changing his answer. Arizona let out a huff of air then grabbed her bag from the closet and headed into the bathroom to change. Joey made it home just in time to meet the delivery men and sign for the last of her bedroom set. She unrolled her new mattress and let it take form while she put her bed together. She was excited about sleeping in a real bed instead of on the floor in her sleeping bag. Once she finished with her bed, she headed out to the store to finally do some grocery shopping. She ran up a steep bill buying all the staples and enough food to last the next couple of weeks if she stuck to cooking more than ordering out. She returned home, put her groceries away, then went to her bedroom. She showered off her day then got in bed and texted with her sister.

Meanwhile, Arizona was at home with Sofia. Her class was working on projects about what their parents did for a living. Callie had done her part with Sofia over the weekend. Now, it was Arizona's turn. She decided the best way to depict her job was with a jello mold. She'd used them during her fellowship to practice procedures and now she was making one with Sofia to show her class how she operated on babies still in the womb. Sofia was worried that the mold wouldn't last until the next day but Arizona assured her it'd hold up just fine as long as they left it in the refrigerator overnight. They finished the mold and put in the frig then Arizona started on dinner while Sofia watched a movie. They ate then made cookies together. After that, it was showers and bed.

The rest of the week flew by and it was Friday. It was Callie's night with Sofia and Arizona didn't want to go home to an empty place so she decided to go over to the bar for dinner and a drink. Alex, Jo, Amelia and Maggie were already there so she joined them at their table. She ordered a burger and fries and poured herself a beer from the pitcher at the table. They were talking about Alex's grant proposal when Joey walked in with an attractive fair skinned woman with light brown, wavy hair. She noticed them at their table and gave a polite wave before going to the bar with her date. They took two open seats and ordered drinks.

"Wow" Amelia said eyeing the two woman at the bar.

"I guess she really did have plans, huh?" Alex asked looking to Arizona. The waiter came over and set Arizona's plate in front of her. She politely thanked him. "Did she ever call you?"

"No" she said as she dipped a fry in ketchup and took a bite.

"Doesn't mean she won't" Jo said still holding on to her optimism. "She said she had plans and that's why she couldn't get together with you tonight. And that wasn't a lie. She really did have plans".

"Yeah, with another woman" Amelia said with distaste. She thought Joey was nice but she didn't too much like the way she seemed to be jerking Arizona around.

"In all fairness, we don't know who she is" Maggie chimed in.

"Exactly" Jo said in agreement. "She could just be a friend".

"She just moved here remember" Amelia pointed out, "and she's not particularly friendly".

"Well, she's not… not friendly" Jo said, continuing to defend Joey.

"She doesn't ever seem like she has too much to say" Maggie said before taking a drink. Arizona let them discuss Joey while she ate her food. She didn't really have anything to say and she didn't really know what to think of Joey's behavior.

"Doesn't look like she's at a loss for words right now" Amelia quipped. Arizona glanced over just in time to see Joey laugh. It was the biggest, most free laugh she'd seen from her thus far. She looked completely comfortable with the woman she was with. "Why don't you just get her number and call her?" Amelia asked, pulling Arizona's attention back to their table.

"I'm not gonna push her" she shrugged. "She said we'd get together. I'll wait until she's ready". She cleaned her hands with her napkin then discarded it on her plate with her mostly finished meal. They went back to talking about Alex's grant proposal then about the new guy Maggie was seeing. It'd only been a few dates but she liked him and she was optimistic about where it would go. Talking among themselves, they hadn't noticed that Joey and her mystery date had gotten up from the bar until Joey appeared by their table.

"Hey" she said nicely, "Sorry to interrupt".

"No, not at all" Jo said with a big smile. "Do you want to join us? You can pull up a chair".

"Oh, no thanks" she politely declined. "I just wanted to steal Arizona for a minute…. if that's ok". Everyone except Arizona enthusiastically granted permission. She noticed that Arizona didn't say anything. "Arizona can I… can I talk to you… for a minute?" she asked her directly.

"Sure". She got up from her chair and went off to the side with Joey. She turned to face her and waited for her to say something.

"I, um, I just wanted to apologize" she said sincerely. "I know I said I would call you and then I didn't".

"It's okay if you don't want to call me or go out…."

"No, I don't want to go… I mean I do" she said not wanting her to get the wrong idea. "It's not that I don't want to call or go out. I do want to call you" she said more clearly, "and I do want to go out with you sometime". She looked over her shoulder to the woman she'd been having drinks with. She was waiting patiently for her near the door. "And that's not… she's not" she said pointing over her shoulder, "I'm not on a date" she assured her.

"It's ok if you are" Arizona said back, trying to appear unaffected.

"Well, I'm not" she repeated. "She's just a friend. She's in town visiting" she explained. She knew she didn't really need to explain herself. They weren't dating so she had no obligations but still she felt the need to make sure Arizona knew the situation. "I _will_ call you" she said firmly.

"Ok" she said with the same smile that made Joey's stomach flutter.

"Ok. I, um, I gotta…."

"Yeah" Arizona said before she finished. Joey turned and left the bar with her friend and Arizona returned to her table with hers. She could hardly get comfortable in her seat before she was bombarded with questions about their conversation. She told them what Joey said and they continued to give her advice and speculate about Joey's intentions. Eventually the conversation moved on to other people's business. They left the bar together around ten to head home and get ready for the next day.

Joey's mom called her Saturday morning to ask when she and her father would be able to come for a visit. It was the end of her first week at work and she'd told them, once she was settled into her schedule, she would say when they could visit. She was in the attendings' lounge arguing with her on the phone.

"Je ne veux pas dire littéralement une maman de semaine" she said annoyed. "Je vais. Je vais. J'ai juste besoin de plus de temps. Oui, je vous appellerai. Je t'aime aussi". (I didn't literally mean a week, mom. I will. I will. I just need more time. Yes, I will call you. I love you too). She turned around to find Maggie, Amelia and Jo staring at her. "What?"

"You speak french" Jo said more than asked.

"Yeah". She slipped her phone in the pocket of her scrubs and went over to the frig. Earlier in the week she'd brought in some food for herself. She grabbed a string cheese, some apple slices and her water bottle then went over and took a seat on the couch.

"Me too" Maggie said happily.

"Lover's spat?" Amelia asked only half joking.

"I was talking to my mother" she said dryly.

"Oh".

"Where's she from?" Maggie asked taking a seat to her on the couch.

"Missouri" she said pulling a string of cheese and putting it in her mouth. Maggie laughed.

"No, I mean originally".

"Missouri" Joey repeated, even though she knew what she meant.

"Oh".

"My grandparents came over from Afghanistan" she elaborated with a smirk.

"You're funny" Maggie said sarcastically.

"They speak French in Afghanistan?" Jo asked after some thought.

"No" she said simply. "They speak french in Africa".

"So, she learned french in Africa?"

"No. She learned french in high school". She was a bit annoyed with the questions but she knew it was all part of the process. She had to build new relationships with these new people that she would be working with from now on. It seemed much easier to do in the military. When you need to trust someone with your life, bonding comes easy. This was different. There were no close quarters, long training missions, deployments or life and death situations. Everyone came to work, did their jobs, then went home to their respective families.

"Not really interested in twenty questions, huh?" Jo asked, hearing some annoyance in her voice. Joey gathered her thoughts and put on a polite smile.

"Sorry" she said sincerely. "I'm, uh… ask away".

"No, no. I get it" Jo said understandingly. "The "getting to know you" game can be tiresome".

"Yes, it can be" she agreed.

"But I'm interested though" Maggie interjected.

"Interested in what?" Meredith asked as she walked into the lounge.

"Where Joey's family is from. I have a special interest in genealogy" she said looking back at Joey.

"Is that right?" Joey asked mockingly.

"You're very funny this morning". Joey chuckled as she finished her last apple slice then got up from the couch and threw her trash away. She put her water back in the frig then headed for the door.

"Later" she said as she exited. She got through the first half of her day then went to the cafeteria to get lunch. She saw Maggie, Jo, Alex, Meredith, Callie, Jackson, Amelia, Arizona, April, Teddy and Owen all sitting together. There was a lot of bantering and laughter. She flashed back in her mind to the days when she enjoyed that kind of camaraderie over MREs in the middle of a sandbox or burgers and hot dogs at an FRG organized cook out on post.

"Dr" she heard faintly. "Excuse me Dr". She emerged from her trance and peered over the counter at the cafeteria worker talking to her. "Your plate" she said pushing it closer to her.

"Yeah, sorry" she said taking it and putting it on her tray. "Thanks". She took her tray and walked towards the cafeteria doors when she heard someone call out to her. She looked over to see Maggie waving her over to their lunch table. She politely shook her head, declining a seat at the table, and left the cafeteria with her lunch.

"She is _really_ not a people person is she?" Maggie asked as she watched Joey leave.

"It's a big adjustment, going from active duty to the reserves" Owen explained. "She'll warm up. Just gotta give her some time". They finished lunch and went back to work. It was almost the end of the shift when another trauma came in; a child hit by a car. Being that the patient was a child, Joey got her first chance to work with Alex. Callie responded for ortho to assess his fractures. Amelia did his neuro exam and Maggie assessed his cardiac function before they both cleared out of the crowded trauma room. Meredith stayed in as an extra set of hands. The boy's mother could be heard outside the trauma room doors, screaming for her son. Joey was finding it hard to focus over the sound of her hysteria.

"Dr. Rajah" Meredith said loudly, getting her attention.

"Yeah" she answered absentmindedly. "Um, you guys good without me?". She removed her gloves before they answered her.

"Yeah. He's, uh, he's stable now so we're good" Alex said giving her permission to leave.

"You ok?" Callie asked with some concern.

"Yeah" she said still distracted by the sobbing outside. "Dr. Karev, are you okay with, uh, with just having Dr. Grey to scrub in with you…. on this?" she asked as she pulled off her gown and discarded it.

"Yeah, we're good" he assured her.

"Ok, good". She could feel her chest starting to tighten and her breathing quickened.

"You sure you're alright?" Callie asked. Joey quickly left the trauma room without answering her and rushed past the distraught mother out to the ambulance bay. She walked over to the bench and sat down to collect herself in the fresh air. She focused on her breathing and tried to clear the screaming from her head. A few minutes later, Owen sat down on the bench next to her. She looked at him as she continued to try to control her breathing.

"Take your time. No rush". She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to take her mind somewhere else. He sat quietly beside her as she worked through whatever was troubling her. He remembered his own struggle when he first started at Grey Sloan, then Seattle Grace. He didn't have anyone to lean on who understood what he was going through. He was glad he could be there for Joey. They sat quietly, breathed deeply and allowed the sun to beam down on them.

End of the shift came and like every other day that week the attending's lounge was full of everyone getting ready to go home for the day. Joey kept to herself as the others discussed going to the bar across the street for a drink. She packed her bag, put it on her shoulder and headed out. Jackson invited her to join them for a drink but she declined and said she'd see them on Monday. In the parking lot, Joey hurried to her car. She wanted to get home, shower off her day and have a much needed drink on her couch, alone. She was opening her door when she felt someone behind her then suddenly a hand on her shoulder. She grabbed the person's wrist, squeezed and twisted, pulling their arm behind their back and slamming them into the hood of her car.

"Ow, you're gonna break my wrist". She quickly let go once she realized it was Arizona who'd approached her. Arizona cradled her wrist against her chest and breathed through the pain shooting up her arm. Joey took deep breaths and tried to ground herself as quickly as possible.

"Arizona, I'm… I'm so sorry" she said breathily. "I didn't kn…. I'm sorry" she apologized again. "Are you… are… are you okay?"

"I'm fine" she said as she soothed her wrist which was already starting to bruise. "I'm sorry" she apologized receiving a look of confusion from Joey. "I- I didn't mean to sneak up on you" she clarified her apology.

"No… no, you didn't" she said quickly. She'd calmed herself down by now. Her heart rate had slowed and her breathing was under control. "You did…. a little bit" she admitted. "But it- it's not your fault. I, um, I overreacted" she said apologetically. "I'm really sorry" she apologized again. "I, uh, I'm gonna go… um, home" she said opening her car door. "You should… um, make sure you ice that wrist".

"Yeah, I will".

"I'm really sorry Arizona" she apologized for a final time as she got in her car. Arizona stepped back as the engine turned over. Joey pulled out of her spot and headed home. Arizona walked to her car and got in. She sat in her seat for a minute and examined her wrist. It was thoroughly bruised, had some swelling and pain but she had full range of motion. "_Not too bad but definitely sprained_" she thought to herself. She thought about going back inside to have April take a look at it. She was staying overnight to monitor a patient she'd grown fond of. She knew she'd take a look and keep her confidence about how it happened. After some thought, she decided she'd just go home. If it got any worse, she'd come back in the next day for x-rays. She started her car, maneuvered out of her parking spot with her uninjured hand then headed to pick up Sofia and go home. Meanwhile at the bar, the conversation had turned to Joey's episode in the ER.

"So, what happened with Joey today?" Maggie asked nosily. "Did she really freak out in that trauma?"

"She didn't freak out" Alex said in her defense. "The kid was stable. We didn't need her so she left".

"But there was something obviously off… about her" Callie argued.

"She was a bit…. absent" Meredith agreed. "But she didn't freak out. She made sure we were okay before she left".

"What did Owen say about it?" Callie asked looking at Meredith.

"Nothing".

"You sent him out there after her, right?" She nodded.

"He didn't say anything to me" she shrugged. "I went out there before heading up to CT and they were just sitting there on the bench in the ambulance bay".

"They weren't saying anything?" Amelia asked. Meredith shook her head.

"It wasn't just me though right?" Callie asked.

"No, something was definitely…. off" Meredith agreed again. She remembered the way Cristina was there for Owen, even when it was to her detriment. With the prospect of Arizona getting involved with Joey, she hoped that Owen could act as a buffer between them so she wouldn't have to go through some of the things Cristina had. "Arizona's home with Sofia?" she asked. She checked her watch.

"She should be picking her up from her school soon".

"She's at school on a Saturday?" Maggie asked confused.

"Her class left for their camping trip yesterday morning. They get back tonight".

"You gave in on that, huh?" Alex asked.

"No. But I never did tell her that she couldn't go so technically, I guess, I did. I tried to bribe her to stay home with a movie night including Wonder Woman but she wasn't interested; even though she's already pestering us about finding her a Wonder Woman Halloween costume".

"Oh, please keep her away from Zola" Amelia pleaded, "I don't think we're ready for her musings about Halloween costumes yet".

"Or her changing her mind after I've already bought the one she said she wanted" Meredith said with an eye roll. They continued conversation until they finished their drinks then cleared out to head home.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Mysterious Case of Arizona's Injury

Arizona woke the next morning to find that her wrist had gotten slightly better. She'd iced it the night before then wrapped it with a compression wrap and slept with it elevated on a pillow. The bruising was still pronounced but the swelling had gone down and most of the pain had subsided. She took some ibuprofen for what little pain she had left and exercised her wrist to prevent more pain from stiffness. She had the day off with Sofia and she'd promised to take her skating with some of her friends from her dance class. She let her sleep in while she made pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Sofia woke up at the smell of breakfast and joined her in the kitchen on her own. They ate together then got dressed and went out to pick up Sofia's friends and go to the skating rink.

Joey spent the day with her friend, Aida, who was visiting from Kansas City. She'd been stationed there four years ago and done her second deployment with her unit there. They went for a run together in the morning then lounged around Joey's apartment into the afternoon, talking over coffee and cinnamon buns they had baked fresh themselves. Early in the evening, they got dressed and went out for an early dinner then went to ride the ferry. It was a beautiful day out and the ferry departed just as the sun was setting. She closed her eyes as she breathed in the smell of the harbor and felt the wind through her hair. The warmth of the fading sun washed over her. It was the most relaxed she'd felt in a long time. She thought she'd have to make this a regular outing for herself. They enjoyed the ferry ride then disembarked and found a bar to have a drink before returning to Joey's place for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Aida drove Joey to the hospital before heading to the airport. She wished she could stay longer but her leave had only been for the weekend. It was still really early so Joey slept on the couch in the lounge for an hour and a half before getting up, changing into jogging clothes and going out for a run. By seven thirty she'd finished her run, showered, gotten into scrubs, checked on her patients and was back in the attending's lounge having the breakfast she'd packed from home. A tall, seasoned looking black man walked into the lounge and said good morning.

"Good morning" she politely replied.

"I haven't seen you before" he said taking a seat at the table with her.

"I just started last week. Johana Rajah" she extended her hand. "Trauma surgery".

"Richard Webber" he said accepting her hand shake. "General".

"You're Arizona's regular trivia companion" she said recognizing his name.

"She told you about that, huh?" She nodded.

"She told me you ditched her for your wife". He laughed.

"Guilty" he said unashamed. "My wife, Catherine, is working in Chicago so I took a week off to go visit her".

"That's nice".

"So where you coming from?" he asked as he stirred the oatmeal in his bowl.

"Germany". He looked up surprised. "I'm in the army" she explained. "I was stationed there. Now I'm stationed here. I train at Fort Lewis".

"Well, welcome" he said nicely.

"Thanks". Jackson walked in followed by Meredith, Maggie and Amelia. They all exchanged good mornings and welcomed Richard back to work. A few minutes later, Alex and Jo walked in behind them. April, Arizona and Callie came in together. Owen and Teddy made it a full house. They all talked back and forth and over one another as they got ready for their shift. Richard told everyone about his vacation and Meredith filled him in on the patients he'd left in her care. While they were all talking, and Joey mostly listened, there was a knock on the door. They looked over to see Helm standing in the doorway.

"Morning" she said with a wave. "Sorry to interrupt. I just have this" she said pulling a badge from her pocket. She walked over and held it out to Joey. "Aida left it with me to give to you. She said you forgot it in her car this morning" she explained. Joey took the badge which, sure enough, belonged to her. "I guess she called you after she dropped you off but you didn't answer and she had to get to the airport" she said rambling on, "so I told her I'd get it back to you".

"Thanks" she said as she clipped it onto her scrub top.

"No problem" Helm said enthusiastically. "I'm gonna go now. Have a good day".

"You too". She turned and left the attendings to resume their conversations. For some reason, no one said anything. The awkward silence lingered for a bit longer than she was comfortable with. "What?" she finally said, looking around.

"Ok, I'll ask" Maggie said breaking the silence. "Who's Aida?" It was the question on everyone's mind.

"A friend" she answered. She got up from the table and cleared her place, rinsing her bowl and cup at the sink before going over to put them in her bag. When she turned around, everyone was still staring at her. "What?" she asked again, this time with some annoyance in her voice. There were some shrugs and a few murmured nothings as conversation resumed. She made her way over to Arizona who was having her own private conversation with April. "Hi" she said interrupting them.

"Hi" April said nicely.

"Morning" Arizona said with a smile.

"How's, uh, how's your wrist?" she asked concerned.

"Oh, it's fine" she said casually. "It doesn't hurt at all". She saw the concern on Joey's face at the bruising that was still very noticeable. "Really" she assured her, "it's ok. It looks worse than it is".

"I looked at it this morning" April interjected. "She took good care of it all on her own".

"Can't go wrong with the RICE treatment" Arizona said jokingly.

"I'm really sorry" she apologized again. "I didn…"

"Stop apologizing" Arizona interrupted her. "I told you it's ok".

"But it's not" she argued. "It's not ok. I hurt you" she said ashamed. Arizona wasn't sure what to say.

"I don't mean to overstep but have you… have you talked to Owen?" April inquired. Arizona had told her the story of how her wrist got hurt when she saw the bruises on their way inside. "It's just he… he had some struggles and he worked through them" she explained. "Maybe he has some helpful advice". Joey looked over her shoulder at Owen who was talking to Teddy and Maggie.

"I haven't" she admitted. "Not really but I- I will" she said slightly questioning her own truthfulness as the statement left her mouth. "Well, I'm gonna head to the ER". She turned and left the lounge quickly to avoid any more awkwardness or embarrassment.

"Think she'll talk to him?" Arizona shrugged.

"I have no idea". She walked over and reached for the coffee pot to refill her cup.

"Whoa" Jackson said noticing the bruising on her wrist. "What happened there?" he asked with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing" she said indifferently as she poured her coffee.

"It doesn't look like nothing". He took her wrist after she returned the coffee pot to the warmer. "This is serious bruising Arizona" he said as he examined her wrist. He could see the impression someone's hand had left. "Who did this to you?"

"Jackson" she said pulling her hand away. She looked around to see if anyone's attention had been drawn to her. Everyone was still involved in their own conversations. "I'm fine".

"Arizona…" he started to argue but she stopped him.

"Just leave it, Jackson. Please". She took her coffee and left to go start her rounds. Jackson locked eyes with April. He could tell from the look on her face that she knew something about Arizona's injury. Before he could go over to ask her about it, she made her escape and headed downstairs to the ER. Over the next few minutes, everyone cleared out of the lounge to round on their patients. Later, Jackson was paged down to the ER to consult on April's patient, a woman who'd been bitten by a dog. It had chased her and, eventually, caught her when she fell down some stairs trying to get away. Callie had also been paged for the break to her arm which she'd sustained trying to break her fall. Jackson cleared his throat.

"So" he said glancing up from the woman's dog bite, "you know what happened to Arizona's wrist?" He continued taking quick glances at April so she knew the question was directed towards her.

"What happened to Arizona's wrist?" Callie asked interestedly.

"You haven't seen it?" he asked, this time keeping his focus on the patient as he applied anesthetic to ensure that she would feel no pain.

"No. What's wrong with it?" she asked as she reviewed the patient's x-rays.

"There's nothing wrong with it" April said as she finished cleaning the last of the patient's lacerations. "It's just a sprain and it's already gotten better. She's fine".

"Did she fall or something?" They paid no mind to the patient they were working on as they carried on their personal conversation. The woman had been hysterical so they gave her a mild sedative to calm her down. She was dazed and confused, murmuring incoherently as they worked on her injuries. She wouldn't remember a word they said.

"It looked like a hand print to me" Jackson said still focused on his stitching. "Like someone grabbed her wrist hard enough to bruise".

"She's fine" April repeated.

"Ok, she's fine" Callie acknowledged, "but what happened to her?" she asked more forcefully.

"I… I- I" April stammered, "I think you should just talk to her about it" she said not wanting to be in the middle of anything. "I'm done here. I'm gonna see what other consults are out there". She quickly made her exit, removing her gloves as she went. Jackson and Callie continued to discuss the possibilities of what happened to Arizona. They agreed that if either of them found out, they'd tell the other. They finished with the patient then moved her from the trauma room upstairs to be casted and monitored until her sedative wore off. At lunch, Arizona's injury was the topic of conversation. April was still being closemouthed about what happened. Arizona was walking over with her tray to join the table and April tried to subtly warn her to eat elsewhere. She didn't get the message. She set her tray down in the space between Alex and Jackson.

"What are you doing?" Arizona asked as she sat down.

"Nothing" April shrugged.

"So, you gonna just tell us or do we have to ask?" Alex asked looking at the bruising just visible beyond the edge of her lab coat sleeve.

"Tell you what?" she asked confused. She twisted the top off her bottle of tea and took a drink.

"That bruising does look pretty bad" Teddy said from her view on her side of the table.

"Oh god" Arizona said with an eye roll. "Did you start this?" she asked looking at Jackson. "I am fine. My wrist is fine" she said categorically.

"Ok. You're fine. Your wrist is fine" Callie said repeating her assertions. "We would still like to know what happened".

"Yeah, who did that to you?" Alex asked seriously. "Tell me. I'll kick their ass" he said only halfway joking.

"I am not talking about this" she said as she twisted the cap back onto her tea. She stood up and took her tray in her hands. When she turned around, Meredith was standing behind her. "You can have my seat" she asserted as she walked past her to leave and find somewhere else to eat. Meredith set her tray down in the spot previously occupied by Arizona's and took her seat.

"What's wrong with her?" she asked confused.

The rest of the day was full of speculation among her friends. Everyone wanted to know who was responsible for hurting Arizona's wrist. The gossip had even gotten back to Bailey who'd made it her business to ask Arizona if there was anything or anyone she should be worried about. It was hospital policy to report all injuries. If she'd been hurt by a patient, she needed to know. Arizona assured her the same as she had assured everyone else. She was fine. Her wrist was fine. She felt like a broken record. The end of day came and the attending's lounge was full of everyone getting ready to go home for the day. Joey came out of the bathroom in jeans and a sweater, tossed her soiled scrubs into the laundry bin and went to retrieve her bag. As she packed up, she contemplated the decision she'd made earlier about talking to Arizona and clarifying their relationship. She wanted to get it over with now before she lost her nerve. She zipped her pack, put it on her shoulder then turned to look around for Arizona. She saw her in the corner talking to April and Teddy. Taking a deep breath, she made her approach.

"Excuse me" she said interrupting their conversation, "Hi. Sorry to interrupt".

"That's ok" April said nicely. "I'm heading out. Night Joey".

"Good night" she said as she walked away. She was left standing with just Arizona and Teddy now.

"I was hoping to talk to you before you left" Teddy said hoping she sounded casual. Arizona and April had filled her in on the situation with Arizona's wrist and she hoped she could present herself as an asset to Joey going forward.

"Oh, ok" she nodded. "Can I… could I talk to Arizona for a minute first?"

"Uh, sure?" Teddy said looking to Arizona.

"Yes" Arizona said definitively. "Of course".

"Um, privately" she said softly.

"Yeah, definitely". Arizona looked around for somewhere they could talk without others eavesdropping but the lounge was full. She saw the bathroom door open. "Come on". She took Joey's hand and led her into the bathroom, shutting the door behind them. "So, what's up?" Joey thought the bathroom was an interesting choice but it was the privacy she'd asked for.

"Ok. I, uh, I just wanted to tell you that I know that everyone is wondering about what happened to your wrist" she started explaining her desire for them to talk. "I just wanted you to know that you don't have to hide it or lie for me. You can tell people what I did".

"I'm not hiding it" she assured her. "And I haven't lied to anyone. I've told who I wanted to tell and it's nobody else's business".

"Ok. Well, I just didn't want you to feel like you had to protect me. I mean, I did hurt you".

"It's ok" she said with a shrug, again waving it off.

"I- I…." she sighed. "Please stop saying that. It's… it's really _not_ ok" she said firmly. "I hurt you" she repeated. "I know…" she stopped Arizona before she could interrupt her, "I know I didn't mean to do it. It _was_ an accident but that doesn't mean that it's insignificant".

"Ok" Arizona accepted. "Well, I forgive you" she said changing her response. Joey laughed lightly.

"Thank you" she said gratefully. "Um, another thing I wanted to talk to you about, um" she scratched her head and took a breath. "I like you, Arizona" she said confidently. "I like you a lot. I liked talking to you when we met at the bar…." Arizona laughed.

"You mean listening?" she asked. Joey laughed too.

"Yeah, listening and talking… a little" she added. "I would love to go out with you at some point but… I, um, I just don't think it's a good idea right now" she admitted. "I'm just…. I'm- I'm" she stuttered as she searched for the right words. "I'm just not… in the best place right now to be…. pursuing anything with- with anyone" she said making sure she understood that she wasn't blowing her off for someone else. "I just need to work on…. myself and feeling normal and living outside a military bubble and having normal responses to people tapping me on the shoulder" she said with a laugh receiving a laugh in return.

"Ok" Arizona said with an understanding nod. "That makes sense".

"But I hope that we can, you know, be friends" she added quickly. "I need to work on that too".

"Friends sounds good".

"Ok. Good" she said with some relief. "Good". She was happy with how this conversation had gone and was hopeful that eventually she would be ready for something real with Arizona. "So, um, I better not keep Teddy waiting…. any longer". She reached for the door handle then hesitated. "Everyone's gonna be staring at us when we go out there aren't they?" she asked. Arizona laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, probably" she answered honestly.

"I thought so" she said with a sigh. Joey had learned very quickly that this hospital was a hotbed of gossip. Everyone seemed to be in everyone else's business. "Ok" she said reaching for the knob again, this time turning it and opening the door. She stepped out into the lounge and sure enough all eyes were on her and Arizona as the exited the bathroom. She pretended it didn't bother her as she walked over to Teddy who was still waiting. "You wanna walk out with me?" she asked.

"Yeah" she said grabbing her jacket from the table. They both said good night to everyone as they left the lounge.

"Hey, Joey" she heard from behind her just as they were about to turn the corner. She stopped to see Arizona approaching. "Do you want to have dinner sometime?" she asked. Joey turned the idea over in her mind for a moment. "Friends have dinner, right?" she asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Y..yeah" she answered hesitantly. "Yeah, friends have dinner" she answered more confidently. "Dinner sounds good".

"Good" Arizona said happily with the big smile that Joey was growing accustomed to. "How about tonight?" she quickly suggested.

"Uh, I, um" Joey stuttered clearly thrown by the last minute invitation.

"It's ok if you already have plans" she assured her. "I just, I don't have Sofia tonight so I thought…. why not ask".

"No, I… I don't have any plans" Joey said after some thought. "Tonight's…. tonight works".

"Ok great" she exclaimed. "I'll just change and grab my things then I'll meet you across the street?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Sounds good". She and Teddy continued on to the elevator as Arizona went back to change and get her purse.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about Arizona" she said as the waited for the elevator. "She told me about what happened".

"Yeah, I figured that's why you wanted to talk". The elevator doors opened and they stepped on. Teddy pressed the button for their floor, the doors closed and they started their ride down. "I've apologized an…"

"I- I know" she said stopping her. "She told me that too". They stopped at their floor and exited the elevator together. "You're not in trouble, Joey. I just wanted to let you know that I understand how hard it is, you know, transitioning back into civilian life".

"Yeah, of- of course you do" Joey said remembering that Teddy had been active duty for a long time before coming to Grey Sloan.

"So, I- I… I guess I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anyone to talk to about things, I'm here" she said offering her support. They walked out the doors of the hospital out to the parking lot. It was a nice night with a light breeze. She looked over and saw Owen waiting by the car for her. "And I know Owen would be too" she said offering his support as well.

"Yeah, um, April suggested that I talk to him".

"You should" she said definitively. Joey stopped and turned to stand in front of Teddy, blocking her from moving forward.

"I want you to know that I didn't tell Arizona not to tell people what I did or to cover for me…"

"I didn't think you did" she waved it off. "This place is full of gossip". Joey laughed and nodded. "I'm sure she just didn't want half the story getting around and people treating you differently".

"Yeah, well maybe they should".

"Don't do that to yourself" she said firmly. "Don't keep punishing yourself for one mistake".

"One mistake" she nodded, "until it happens again".

"Well, that's up to you. There's help available to you…. if you want it" she added. Joey nodded her understanding as she turned and retook her position beside Teddy. They approached Owen who was leaning against the car looking at his phone. "Hey" Teddy said getting his attention.

"Hey" he said, standing up straight and shoving his phone in his pocket. She walked up and gave him a quick kiss. "Hey" he said to Joey with a smile, "how's it going?"

"Good" she said with a nod. "Yeah, good, um… definitely better than yesterday" she said with a soft chuckle.

"I was just telling Joey that she should lean on us a little" Teddy explained, "because we know what she's going through".

"Yeah, definitely" he agreed. "Any time you wanna talk or just grab a beer…. anything" he said leaving the possibilities open.

"That sounds good. Thank you" she said appreciatively. "Well, um, I'm meeting Arizona for dinner so… thanks again".

"Good night Joey" Teddy said kindly.

"Night" Owen said simultaneously.

"Good night". She turned around and headed over to the bar to meet Arizona. Her nerves were on ten. She hadn't expected Arizona to take her up on her offer of friendship so soon. She walked into the bar and spotted Arizona sitting at the end of the bar. At the usual table in the back, Alex, Jo, Amelia, and Maggie were sitting together for a drink. She waved at them as she went to join Arizona at the bar. "Hi" she said as shrugged out of her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair.

"Hey".

"Have you ordered?"

"No, I was waiting for you". Joey got the attention of the bartender. They ordered drinks and two orders of burgers and fries.

"So how did Sofia like camping?"

"She loved it". The bartender set their drinks in front of them. "She just went on and on about how fun it was and I just smiled and nodded because I can't relate". Joey laughed.

"Not a fan of camping?"

"Not at all". Alex, Jo, Amelia and Maggie were watching them from their table. Jo was especially happy.

"I told you guys" she said happily. "She called and now they're on a date. Optimism wins the day".

"How do you know it's a date?" Maggie asked.

"Because they're at the bar, just the two of them" she replied. "If it weren't a date don't you think they would've sat over here with us?"

"That's true" Amelia said observing the pair as they conversed at the bar. "What do you think they were talking about in the bathroom?"

"She was asking her out" Jo said as if it were obvious.

"They were in there for longer than it takes to ask someone out" she argued. "And why would they go in the bathroom just so she could ask her out?"

"I think she was apologizing" Alex said as he cracked open a peanut. "I think she's the one who hurt Arizona's wrist and she was apologizing in the bathroom and asked her to dinner".

"Oh my god" Maggie said in disbelief.

"What?" Jo said simultaneously. "Who said that?"

"No one said" he shrugged, "it's just…. obvious".

"Do you really think Arizona would still go out with her after she hurt her?" Maggie asked.

"I'm sure it was an accident" Jo said still hanging on to her optimism. Meanwhile at the bar, they had gotten their food and the conversation had moved from Sofia's camping trip to Joey's visitor.

"Aida is… one of my best friends" she admitted. "We served together when I was stationed in Kansas City. We were two of three female surgeons in the unit so we spent a lot of time together. We deployed together and we lost friends together…. and we made it home together" she explained. "It's been harder to stay in touch since I was transferred. We talked on the phone and emailed but this weekend was my first time seeing her in…. almost three years" she said after adding up the time.

"How was it seeing her again?"

"It was… it was great" she confessed. "It was like no time had passed at all". She happened to glance down and see the bruising on her wrist. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Arizona noticed but it wasn't like she could cover it up. She was wearing short sleeves.

"You don't have to keep feeling bad about this" she said, lightly rubbing the bruises.

"Yeah" she said softly. "I can't really help it".

"Who did you think I was?" she asked curiously.

"Um" Joey scratched her head, "I- I don't think I thought you were anyone in particular. I just… reacted. Overreacted" she corrected. "I'm sorry I'm so bad at this" she apologized.

"Bad at what?" Arizona asked confused.

"Normal conversation" she shrugged. "I just… I never feel like I have anything to say".

"How'd you learn French?" she asked abruptly. Joey raised her eyebrows. "I'm helping you…. make normal conversation" she clarified. "Jo mentioned that you got a call from your mom and you spoke French on the phone with her".

"Yeah" she nodded. "I, um, I learned it at home. It's my father's first language so we spoke a lot of French at home. And we speak Pashto which is my mother's first language and I guess, technically, it's my first language too. And English of course which we started learning in school".

"What kind of language is Pashto?" she asked curiously.

"Afghani" she answered. "My mother's side of the family is from there. And since she always stayed home with us until we started school, we all spoke Pashto first".

"I wish I spoke a second and third language but I… I only speak English".

"Well, I can teach you…. if you want" she offered.

"I don't know what kind of student I'd be".

"Have you taken a language before?" Arizona nodded.

"I took the required years of Spanish but I don't really remember any of it" she admitted. "I should probably learn though. I need to keep up with Sofia".

"She's fluent in Spanish?"

"Nearly" she said with a nod. "She learned from Callie".

"But you didn't?"

"No" she laughed, "Sometimes she would vent to me in Spanish, usually about arguments with her father. I would just listen".

"Without understanding a word she said?"

"Umhum" she mumbled. Joey laughed.

"You know, I was in a plane crash once" she confessed abruptly. For some reason, being in a plane crash popped into her head as something they had in common. "Well, not really a plane crash. It was a black hawk but I…." she paused and looked at Arizona's inquisitive stare. "That's not really…. normal conversation, is it?"

"No, not really" she chuckled.

"Sorry" she said rolling her eyes at herself. "I, um, I'm….. I don't know what else to talk about" she said honestly. "How did Sofia's cam…. no" she stopped herself, "I already asked you that". Arizona laughed.

"Ok. I have a question". Joey swallowed down the last of her drink.

"Yes" she said as she set her glass down and cleared her throat. "Ask away".

"What were you and Callie talking about?" Joey got a confused look on her face. "You were sitting on the couch in the lounge together and you were laughing and….". Joey realized what she was talking about before she finished.

"Oh yeah" she interrupted her. "We had this… crazy patient" she said laughing as she remembered him. "He was pretty nuts. He went on and on about his trees being his babies or something. It's a parent's job to take care of their babies. He fell out of one of them trying to trim the branches. He could've killed himself but he didn't seem to care about that prospect. All he cared about was how his baby, meaning his tree, was doing. It was weird. Anyway, I um…. I kind of bailed on her and left her alone with him so…" she said with another laugh. "She was giving me a hard time about that. She's very funny" she admitted.

"Yeah, she is" Arizona agreed.

"Is Sophia more like you or her?" she asked. Arizona could tell that she was genuinely interested in hearing about her daughter. That made her happy.

"I… I think she's an even split of both of us" she said after some thought. "She's smart and kind and funny" she said with a big smile. "which I think she gets from both of us. She's very bubbly and, that part, I think she gets from me" she added. "And then there's the attitude" she said with a laugh, "the sass, that's all Callie".

"She sounds like a really sweet girl".

"She is" Arizona said happily. "She really is". The waiter came over and asked if they'd like another drink or if they were ready for the check.

"Um, uh, the check please" Joey answered for them. Arizona was hoping they'd stay and talk more but once the bill was paid, Joey was ready to leave. They both put on their jackets and walked out together. The walk back to the parking lot was awkwardly quiet. They both wondered what the other was thinking but neither said anything to the other. They reached Arizona's car. She turned to say good night only to be met with Joey's lips on hers. It was unexpected but very welcomed. Her lips were soft and gentle. Her hands tangled in her hair. Just as abruptly as their kiss had begun, it ended. "Uh, shit" she said in a harsh whisper as she backed away. "Arizona, I'm sorry" she quickly apologized.

"It's okay". She was more than okay with Joey kissing her any time she wanted.

"No, it's… it's not" she argued. "It's not. It's not okay". She was clearly bothered by her loss of control. "I'm sorry. I can't um… I ne… I have to go". Arizona wanted to stop her but she could tell her efforts would be futile. Joey quickly made it to her car, got inside and started the engine. Arizona watched as she put on her seatbelt, pulled out of her parking spot then screeched out of the parking lot. She stood there a moment, tracing her lips with her fingers as she relived, in her mind, the short but very sweet kiss she'd just enjoyed. She let out a huff of air before getting in her own car and heading home for the night


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hello all. I want to apologize for it being such a long time between updates. I am currently working two jobs, which doesn't leave much time for writing, but I have not abandoned this story or any of my others. I will be continuing them to completion. So, here's another chapter. As always, reviews are welcome but please be respectful. Hope you enjoy. Happy Holidays!**

Chapter 11: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

The next day, Joey was back to avoiding Arizona. It was lunchtime and she really didn't want to be bothered with other people. She casually looked into the attendings' lounge, grateful to find it empty. She deduced that everyone else had decided to eat lunch in the cafeteria or outside since it was a nice day. She let out a sigh of relief as she went over to the frig and retrieved her lunch. She put her container in the microwave, starting it for three minutes, then took a seat on the couch to wait for it to finish. A minute after she sat down, Meredith walked in. She did her best not to react but she couldn't help the groan that escaped her. Meredith looked over at her, clearly offended.

"Sorry" she quickly apologized. "I was just… hoping to eat alone" she admitted.

"Not too many places to be alone around here" she said as she refilled her coffee. "Next time try to find an empty on call room". Joey nodded. "There's locks on the doors".

"I will do that". The microwave stopped and Joey got up to retrieve her lunch. She'd made spaghetti at home and had plenty leftover. She opened the lid, letting the steam escape, as she went over and retook her seat on the couch. Meredith came over and took a seat next to her.

"So you know Arizona and I are friends, right?"

"Yeah" she nodded. "Yeah, everyone seems to get along pretty well here".

"We're family here" she said seriously. "We've gone through a lot together. We've survived a lot together".

"The plane crash" she stated more than asked.

"Right" Meredith nodded. She remembered that Arizona had talked to Joey about that on the first night they met. "I know what happened to her wrist".

"She told you?"

"No. She told Alex and Alex told me" she informed her. "My best friend, Cristina…"

"The one from the plane crash?" Meredith looked at her.

"Yeah, the one from the plane crash" she said flatly.

"Sorry" Joey apologized again. "I'll stop interrupting".

"Thank you" she said again in a flat tone. Joey stifled a laugh as she waited for Meredith to continue. "Anyway, Cristina and Owen got together when he first started here. He had a lot of baggage from what he'd gone through over in…. where ever he was over there". Joey looked away from her bowl and locked eyes with Meredith. "He hurt her" she said simply. "Badly" she added. "Worse than what you did to Arizona. He didn't mean it and he was very sorry but it didn't change the fact that he had a problem". Joey listened intently to what Meredith was saying. She had an idea of where this conversation would end up. "Cristina cared about him so she tried to stand by him. They both came to work the day after it happened and went about their day like everything was normal. They tried to pretend like nothing happened".

"I wouldn't…" she stopped her there. "I would never do that" she said firmly. "I know what I did. I feel terrible about it. I'm not pretending like it didn't happen".

"Good" Meredith said pleased with her response. "I care about Cristina and I didn't let it go without some arguing. I care about Arizona too and I…."

"You don't have to argue" she interrupted her again. "I've already put distance between us. I don't want to hurt her again…. or anyone else".

"So, what are you gonna do about it?" she asked interested to hear her plan.

"What do you mean?" Joey asked confused.

"Cristina pushed Owen to get help. He didn't want to hurt her again so he got help" she clarified. "So, what are _you_ gonna do?"

"I… I, um" Joey stuttered, not sure how to answer her question. Teddy and Owen had both offered her support but she hadn't considered talking to a therapist.

"He saw Dr. Wyatt" she continued without prompting. "I saw Dr. Wyatt too" she admitted. "She works upstairs on the fifth floor. She's great".

"Why did _you_ see her?"

"I wanted to be… whole enough?" she said questioning her own wording. "Yeah, whole enough" she said deciding that was correct, "to be able to have a real relationship with my husband. He wasn't my husband then but I had aspirations". Joey chuckled. "Anyway, I went to her and she fixed me".

"Just like that, huh?"

"Welll…. there was some resistance on my part" she admitted with a laugh. "But by the end, once I stopped resisting… yeah" she nodded. "She fixed me".

"Sounds nice" Joey said softly. "Like a fairy tale" she said with a hint of sarcasm. "That's not usually how my life goes".

"Are you being dark and twisty?" she asked amused.

"I… what?" Joey asked confused.

"Dark and twisty" she repeated. There was something in Joey that Meredith recognized very well.

"I don… I don't know… what that means". Meredith laughed.

"You are" she said still laughing. "You're dark and twisty just like us".

"Us?"

"Me, Cristina, Owen" she listed. "We all get dark and twisty. You're in the dark place".

"O…kay" Joey said still confused about what she was talking about.

"I can't wait to tell Cristina about you".

"I'm happy I could give you something to look forward to" she said sarcastically. Meredith laughed again.

"You should go see Dr. Wyatt" she suggested. "Ask Owen about her" she said getting up from the couch. "She's great". She left Joey to finish her lunch alone. More than whether or not she'd go see the therapist she'd recommended, she wondered what the hell dark and twisty meant. She finished her lunch then went back to work. She scrubbed in on a surgery with Teddy for the first time. They worked simultaneously, Teddy focusing on the heart with Helm assisting her while she and Schmidt focused on the abdomen. It was surprising to her, though, the amount of personal conversation that went on in their OR. She wondered if it was how all of their surgeries went and if she could make a rule for her own surgeries that there would be no personal conversations. She just listened until her work was done then scrubbed out, letting Schmidt close without her.

"You're letting me close by myself?" he asked surprised.

"Yes" she said as she backed away from the table. She was surprised that as a fourth year he was so excited about it. "Can I trust you to do that?"

"Yes" he answered quickly. "Absolutely Dr. Rajah. Thank you". She left the OR then went to find Hunt. She was taking Meredith's advice to ask him about Dr. Wyatt but she also wanted to ask him about this "dark and twisty" business. It was really bugging her that she didn't know what it meant. She found him in the imaging room and asked if she could join him.

"Of course" he said tapping the chair next to him. She shut the door behind her before going over and taking the seat. She took a look at the scans he had up on the screen.

"Grade two?" she asked seeing a lacerated liver on the scan.

"That's what I'm thinking" he said examining the scan of his patient's abdominal scan. "So" he said as he examined the scans further for any other injuries, "what's up?"

"I, um, I had a conversation with Meredith and I wanted to ask you something".

"Ok" he said turning to her.

"What does dark and twisty mean?" Owen laughed. He thought she had something serious to ask him about.

"It's um, it's a state of mind. Meredith and Cristina, uh…" he paused. "Cristina is…" he started to explain who he was talking about.

"Meredith's best friend" she interrupted. "She told me".

"Right, ok. Well, it's something they came up with to describe this state they sometimes get into when things are… bleak" he explained. "They've both been through a lot of bad experiences and it's left them with a view of life that is, sometimes, very dark and pessimistic. They don't get their hopes up because it's a trap. They accept good things when they come but always with a sense that something dreadful is right around the corner. Or they just expect the good thing will never happen in the first place because their lives haven't been filled with very many good things. They have a very morbid sense of humor and when things get tough they're usually the ones who find a way to think of how it could be worse because, for them, things have certainly been worse. But somehow, they manage to hold on to the hope that things can work out and the humanity that allows them to be compassionate and help people. I started calling them the "twisted sisters" and it kind of stuck" he chuckled.

"Meredith says I'm dark and twisty and, apparently, I'm in my dark place right now". He laughed again.

"Well, if something's happened and you're feeling like it's the typical story of your life; the way things go for you and you're feeling like they won't get better or only imagining how things could get worse then you might be in the dark place" he said explaining Meredith's conclusion. "It doesn't have to be permanent" he said seeing the defeated look on her face. "You'll still be a dark and twisty person. That part doesn't really go away. And you may stop in the dark place on more than one occasion but it doesn't have to be a permanent stay. You can come out of the dark place. They have and so have I…. more than once" he added.

"Did Dr. Wyatt help you with that?" she asked curiously. He furrowed his brow. "Meredith mentioned that you both saw her. She said I should ask you about her".

"Dr. Wyatt was great" he said repeating Meredith's opinion of her. "She helped me a lot. If you're considering therapy, she's an excellent choice".

"I don't know" she shrugged. "I'm not sure therapy's for me".

"I used to think the same thing" he admitted. "But when the choice is between therapy and continuing to hurt the people you love, it's pretty easy to decide".

"So she's good, this Dr. Wyatt?" she asked straightforward.

"She is" he answered curtly.

"And you trust her?"

"I have before and I would again".

"Ok" she said with a sigh. "Thank you" she said getting up from her chair. She went to leave but stopped and turned back to him. "Can I ask you something else?" He nodded. "Did you have… nightmares?" she asked hesitantly. He sighed heavily.

"Yes, I've had the nightmares and the cold sweats and the flashbacks" he said listing his struggles.

"How long until that went away?"

"I'm not sure it ever does" he said sadly. "It gets better. They become less frequent but…. I don't think they ever completely go away". Joey nodded in understanding.

"Ok" she said mirroring his sadness. She turned to continue on her way when Owen spoke again.

"I meant what I said before" he said before she was out the door. "Anytime you wanna grab a bite to eat, a beer…. go bowling" he said tossing his hands up.

"Bowling?" Joey asked with a raised brow.

"Hey, whatever works. Anytime" he said again.

"Thanks" she said appreciatively. She left the media room and started her way back to the ER. She was waiting for the elevator when Arizona came and stood next to her.

"Hi" she said smiling. Joey cleared her throat.

"Hi" she said back before stepping forward and impatiently pushing the down button.

"About last night…" she said starting to tell Joey that she was okay with what happened.

"Look, Arizona, I'm sorry" she said abruptly cutting her off.

"No, it's…."

"I thought I could do this but I can't" she shrugged. The elevator doors opened and she waited while people exited. "I can't be friends with you" she said before getting on the elevator. She turned to face her and pushed the button for her floor. "I'm sorry" she said as the elevator doors closed. Arizona stood there dumbfounded by Joey's latest announcement. Maggie came up to the elevator and stood next to her, noticing that neither button was lit. She stared at Arizona for a moment.

"What are you doing?" she finally asked.

"Nothing".

"Why are you standing here staring at the elevator doors?"

"I was…. nothing" she said again before turning and walking away.

"Weird" Maggie said under her breath as she watched Arizona walk down the hall. She pushed the down button and waited for the elevator. Arizona made it to the attending's lounge and saw Alex over at the coffee pot. She rushed over to him.

"Did you say something to Joey?" she asked accusingly.

"Good afternoon to you too" he said before tossing his coffee stirrer in the trash. He took a sip of his coffee as he walked over to the table to sit down and update his charts.

"Good afternoon, Alex. How's your day been?" she asked sarcastically.

"Great. Thanks for asking" he said returning her sarcasm.

"Did you happen to talk to Joey about anything I told you?" she asked, her voice still laced with sarcasm.

"No" he said simply. Arizona sighed. "Why? What's wrong?"

"She's backing off again" she said with disappointment.

"So last night didn't go too good, huh?"

"It went great which is why I'm so confused".

"Well, what happened?" She gave him the rundown of their "not a date" dinner date.

"Then today, just now, she says she can't be friends with me".

"Did you ask her why?"

"No" she said with a sigh. "She was on the elevator. I was just so… completely caught off guard. I didn't know what to say".

"Stop freaking out and just talk to her" he suggested.

"But you didn't say anything to her?" she asked again.

"No, I didn't say anyth…" he paused for a second, "anything to her" he finished.

"What? What was that?" she asked noticing the wheels in his mind spinning.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Nothing".

"You paused. Why'd you pause?"

"It's nothing. I just…. I might've told Mer" he admitted.

"Alex!" she said in a chastising tone.

"What? It's Mer" he shrugged. She groaned as she got up from the table and stormed out of the lounge. She went back to work but made mental note to talk to Meredith. She wanted to know exactly what happened before she tried to talk to Joey. She went through the rest of her shift without seeing either of them. When it was time for her to get ready to leave for the day, Joey wasn't in the attending's lounge. Meredith walked in as she was leaving.

"There you are" she said grabbing her arm and pulling her back out the door and off to the side.

"Wha…" Meredith said as she stumbled behind her, moving with the force of Arizona's pull. "What are you doing?"

"Did you talk to Joey?"

"I…" she paused, "Why?" she asked curiously.

"Meredith" Arizona said with a pout.

"I might have" she conceded. "Why? What did she say?"

"She said she can't be friends with me anymore".

"Well, I didn't say anything like that" she said quickly.

"What did you say to her?" Meredith explained the conversation she had with Joey during lunch. She emphasized that she never suggested that she and Arizona shouldn't be friends. She just didn't want to see her hurt again or any worse. She told her to give her some time to work on herself and her issues. They would be better off if she got help now instead of waiting until things got worse. She reminded her that it worked for Owen and Cristina.

"Owen and Cristina got a divorce".

"So did you and Callie but you still tried therapy first" she quipped. Arizona rolled her eyes. "Look, Owen and Cristina got a divorce but it wasn't because of his…war wounds" she pointed out. "You have a better chance of things working out between the two of you if she deals with her issues first".

"So you think I should leave her alone?"

"I do" she said simply. She turned and went back into the lounge. After a minute of contemplation, Arizona headed for the elevator. Meanwhile, Joey was upstairs on the fifth floor waiting outside Dr. Wyatt's office, working up the nerve up to knock on her door. She wondered if she was even still inside or if she'd gone home for the day. After a few more minutes, she approached the door and raised her hand to knock. Before her knuckles connected with the wooden door, she pulled her hand back and let it fall to her side. She hesitantly walked away from the door, deciding to just head home. She made herself dinner and sat at the kitchen table by herself to eat. She cleaned up after herself then moved to her living room couch with a beer. She debated for a while before finally picking up her phone and calling her mother.

"Hi mama" she said when she picked up the phone. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just going over some patient files. What's wrong?"

"Wh- nothing?" she said quickly. "Why do you think anything's wrong?"

"You're my daughter" she stated plainly. "I know when something is wrong. So what's wrong?"

"Do you think I need therapy?"

"Of course you do" she answered quickly.

"Mom" she whined offended.

"What Johanna?"

"You're supposed to say "no, honey. You're fine" she said giving her preferred answer.

"Why would I lie to you?" her mother asked confused.

"Because it's politer".

"Well, you know me. I think everyone needs therapy".

"I'm not everyone" Joey argued. "I'm your daughter".

"And you're a soldier. You've been to war. You've seen things no one should have to see. If you didn't need therapy, I'd worry you were a psychopath". Joey laughed.

"Thanks mom".

"Why are you asking about therapy? Did something happen?"

"No… I just…"

"Don't lie to me Johanna" she said in her mom voice.

"I hurt someone" she said sadly. "It was an accident and it wasn't too bad but I… hurt someone".

"Well then, you know what you need to do".

"You're a therapist. Why can't I just talk to you?"

"You need someone objective" she said quickly dismissing the idea. "You're my baby. I'm not objective".

"I love you" she said softly.

"I love you too my baby" she said sweetly before sending kisses through the phone. They said their goodbyes then got off the phone. Joey finished her beer then went upstairs to shower and go to bed. Just as she closed her eyes to go to sleep, her phone started to vibrate on the bedside table. She picked it up and looked at the caller id. Arizona. She set the phone back down and let it go to voicemail. She let out a huff of air, burrowed into her mattress and let herself relax into a comfortable sleep.


End file.
